By  J.  Jacobs 

English  Fairy  Tales 

Celtic  Fairy  Tales 

More  English  Fairy  Tales 

More  Celtic  Fairy  Tales 

Indian  Fairy  Tales 

Europa's  Fairy  Tales 

Wonder  Voyages 


MORE  ENGLISH 
FAIRY  TALES 


dfoore  Englisb 


COLLECTED  AND  EDITED  BY 

JOSEPH  JACOBS 

EDITOR   OF   "  FOLK-LORE  " 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

JOHN  D.   BATTEN 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK   AND  LONDON 

"Knickerbocker  press 


KNOW  HOW 
TO  GET  73VTO  THIS  'BOOK 

Knock   at   the  Knocker  on  the  'Door, 

Tull  the  'Bell  at  the  side. 

Then,  if  you  are  very  quiet,  you  wM  hear 
a  tevrty  tiny  voice  say  through  the  grating 
"Take  down  the  Key.*'  This  you  will  find  at  the 
lack :  you  cannot  mistake  it,  for  it  has  /.  /. 
m  the  wards.  Tut  the  Key  in  the  Keyholet  which 
it  fits  exactly,  unlock  the  doort  and 


To 
MY  SON  SYDNEY 

.    XIII 


675432 


Preface 


THIS  volume  will  come,  I  fancy,  as  a  surprise 
both  to  my  brother  folk-lorists  and  to  the 
public  in  general.  It  might  naturally  have 
been  thought  that  my  former  volume  {English  Fairy 
Tales)  had  almost  exhausted  the  scanty  remains  of 
the  traditional  folk-tales  of  England.  Yet  I  shall  be 
much  disappointed  if  the  present  collection  is  not 
found  to  surpass  the  former  in  interest  and  vivacity, 
while  for  the  most  part  it  goes  over  hitherto  untrod- 
den ground,  the  majority  of  the  tales  in  this  book 
have  either  never  appeared  before,  or  have  never  been 
brought  between  the  same  boards. 

In  putting  these  tales  together,  I  have  acted  on  the 
same  principles  as  in  the  preceding  volume,  which  has 
already,  I  am  happy  to  say,  established  itself  as  a 
kind  of  English  Grimm.  I  have  taken  English  tales 
wherever  I  could  find  them,  one  from  the  United 
States,  some  from  the  Lowland  Scotch,  and  a  few 
have  been  adapted  from  ballads,  while  I  have  left  a 
couple  in  their  original  metrical  form.  I  have  re- 
written most  of  them,  and  in  doing  so  have  adopted 
the  traditional  English  style  of  folk-telling,  with  its 


vi  Preface 

"  Wells  "  and  "  Lawkamercy "  and  archaic  touches, 
which  are  known  nowadays  as  vulgarisms.  From 
former  experience,  I  find  that  each  of  these  principles 
has  met  with  sorrte  dissent  from  critics  who  have 
written  from  the  high  and  lofty  standpoint  of  folk- 
lore, or  from  the  lowlier  vantage  of  "  mere  literature." 
I  take  this  occasion  to  soften  their  ire,  or  perhaps 
give  them  further  cause  for  reviling. 

My  folk-lore  friends  look  on  with  sadness  while 
they  view  me  laying  profane  hands  on  the  sacred  text 
of  my  originals.  I  have  actually  at  times  introduced 
or  deleted  whole  incidents,  have  given  another  turn 
to  a  tale,  or  finished  off  one  that  was  incomplete, 
while  I  have  had  no  scruple  in  prosing  a  ballad 
or  softening  down  over-abundant  dialect.  This  is 
rank  sacrilege  in  the  eyes  of  the  rigid  orthodox  in 
matters  folk-lorical.  My  defence  might  be  that  I  had 
a  cause  at  heart  as  sacred  as  our  science  of  folk-lore 
— the  filling  of  our  children's  imaginations  with 
bright  trains  of  images.  But  even  on  the  lofty 
heights  of  folk-lore  science  I  am  not  entirely  de- 
fenceless. Do  my  friendly  critics  believe  that  even 
Campbell's  materials  had  not  been  modified  by  the 
various  narrators  before  they  reached  the  great  J.  F.? 
Why  may  I  not  have  the  same  privilege  as  any  other 
story-teller,  especially  when  I  know  the  ways  of  story- 
telling as  she  is  told  in  English,  at  least  as  well  as  a 
Devonshire  or  Lancashire  peasant?  And — conclu- 
sive argument — wilt  thou,  oh  orthodox  brother  folk- 
lorist,  still  continue  to  use  Grimm  and  Asbjdrnsen  ? 
Well,  they  did  the  same  as  I 


Preface  vii 

Then  as  to  using  tales  in  Lowland  Scotch,  whereat 
a  Saturday  Reviewer,  whose  identity  and  fatherland 
were  not  difficult  to  guess,  was  so  shocked.  Scots  a 
dialect  of  English  !  Scots  tales  the  same  as  English  ! 
Horror  and  Philistinism  !  was  the  Reviewer's  outcry. 
Matter  of  fact  is  my  reply,  which  will  only  confirm 
him,  I  fear,  in  his  convictions.  Yet  I  appeal  to  him, 
why  make  a  difference  between  tales  told  on  different 
sides  of  the  Border  ?  A  tale  told  in  Durham  or 
Cumberland  in  a  dialect  which  only  Dr.  Murray 
could  distinguish  from  Lowland  Scotch,  would  on  all 
hands  be  allowed  to  be  "  English."  The  same  tale 
told  a  few  miles  farther  North,  why  should  we  refuse 
it  the  same  qualification  ?  A  tale  in  Henderson  is 
English :  why  not  a  tale  in  Chambers,  the  majority 
of  whose  tales  are  to  be  found  also  south  of  the 
Tweed  ? 

The  truth  is,  my  folk-lore  friends  and  my  Saturday 
Reviewer  differ  with  me  on  the  important  problem  of 
the  origin  of  folk-tales.  They  think  that  a  tale  prob- 
ably originated  where  it  was  found.  They  therefore 
attribute  more  importance  than  I  to  the  exact  form  in 
which  it  is  found  and  restrict  it  to  the  locality  of  birth. 
I  consider  the  probability  to  lie  in  an  origin  elsewhere  : 
I  think  it  more  likely  than  not  that  any  tale  found  in 
a  place  was  rather  brought  there  than  born  there.  I 
have  discussed  this  matter  elsewhere1  with  all  the 

1  See  ••  The  Science  of  Folk  Tales  and  the  Problem  of  Diffusion"  in  Trans* 
actions  of  the  International  Folk-Lore  Congress,  1891.  Mr.  Lang  has  honoured 
me  with  a  rejoinder,  which  I  regard  as  a  palinode,  in  his  Preface  to  Miss  Roalfe 
Cox's  volume  of  variants  of  Cinderella  (Folk -Lore  Society,  1892). 


viii  Preface 

solemnity  its  importance  deserves,  and  cannot  attempt 
further  to  defend  my  position  here.  But  even  the 
reader  innocent  of  folk-lore  can  see  that,  holding 
these  views,  I  do  not  attribute  much  anthropological 
value  to  tales  whose  origin  is  probably  foreign, 
and  am  certainly  not  likely  to  make  a  hard-and-fast 
division  between  tales  of  the  North  Countrie  and  those 
told  across  the  Border. 

As  to  how  English  folk-tales  should  be  told  authori- 
ties also  differ.  I  am  inclined  to  follow  the  tradition  of 
my  old  nurse,  who  was  not  bred  at  Girton  and  who 
scorned  at  times  the  rules  of  Lindley  Murray  and  the 
diction  of  smart  society.  I  have  been  recommended 
to  adopt  a  diction  not  too  remote  from  that  of  the 
Authorised  Version.  Well,  quite  apart  from  memo- 
ries of  my  old  nurse,  we  have  a  certain  number  of 
tales  actually  taken  down  from  the  mouths  of  the 
people,  and  these  are  by  no  means  in  Authorised  form  ; 
they  even  trench  on  the  "vulgar" — i.e.,  the  archaic. 
Now  there  is  just  a  touch  of  snobbery  in  objecting 
to  these  archaisms  and  calling  them  "  vulgar." 
These  tales  have  been  told,  if  not  from  time  im- 
memorial, at  least  for  several  generations,  in  a 
special  form  which  includes  dialect  and  "vulgar" 
words.  Why  desert  that  form  for  one  which  the 
children  cannot  so  easily  follow  with  "  thous "  and 
"  werts "  and  all  the  artificialities  of  pseudo-Eliza- 
bethan ?  Children  are  not  likely  to  say  "  darter  "  for 
"  daughter,"  or  to  ejaculate  "  Lawkamercyme "  be- 
cause they  come  across  these  forms  in  their  folk- 
tales. They  recognise  the  unusual  forms  while 


Preface  ix 

enjoying  the  fun  of  them.  I  have  accordingly  re- 
tained the  archaisms  and  the  old-world  formulae  which 
go  so  well  with  the  folk-tale. 

In  compiling  the  present  collection  I  have  drawn 
on  the  store  of  140  tales  with  which  I  originally 
started ;  some  of  the  best  of  these  I  reserved  for  this 
when  making  up  the  former  one.  That  had  neces- 
sarily to  contain  the  old  favourites  Jack  the  Giant 
Killer,  Dick  Whittington,  and  the  rest,  which  are 
often  not  so  interesting  or  so  well  told  as  the  less 
familiar  ones  buried  in  periodicals  or  folk-lore  col- 
lections. But  since  the  publication  of  English  Fairy 
Tales,  I  have  been  specially  fortunate  in  obtaining 
access  to  tales  entirely  new  and  exceptionally  well 
told,  which  have  been  either  published  during  the 
past  three  years  or  have  been  kindly  placed  at  my 
disposal  by  folk-lore  friends.  Among  these,  the  tales 
reported  by  Mrs.  Balfour,  with  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  peasants'  mind  and  mode  of  speech,  are  a  veri- 
table acquisition.  I  only  regret  that  I  have  had  to 
tone  down  so  much  of  dialect  in  her  versions.  She 
has  added  to  my  indebtedness  to  her  by  sending  me 
several  tales  which  are  entirely  new  and  inedited. 
Mrs.  Gomme  comes  only  second  in  rank  among  my 
creditors  for  thanks  which  I  can  scarcely  pay  without 
becoming  bankrupt  in  gratitude.  Other  friends  have 
been  equally  kind,  especially  Mr.  Alfred  Nutt,  who 
has  helped  by  adapting  some  of  the  book  versions, 
and  by  reading  the  proofs,  while  to  the  Councils  of 
the  American  and  English  Folk-Lore  Societies  I 
have  again  to  repeat  my  thanks  for  permission  to  use 


x  Preface 

materials  which  first  appeared  in  their  publications. 
Finally,  I  have  had  Mr.  Batten  with  me  once  again — 
what  should  I  or  other  English  children  do  without 
him? 

JOSEPH  JACOBS. 


Contents 


THE  PIED  PIPER  OF  FRANCHVILLE     .        .        .        .  i 

HEREAFTERTHIS 7 

THE  GOLDEN  BALL 12 

MY  OWN  SELF  .        .        .                 16 

THE  BLACK  BULL  OF  NORROWAY 20 

YALLERY  BROWN 28 

THREE  FEATHERS .        .        .37 

SIR  GAMMER  VANS 43 

TOM  HlCKATHRIFT 46 

THE  HEDLEY  Kow 55 

GOBBORN  SEER .60 

LAWKAMERCYME 65 

TATTERCOATS 67 

THE  WEE  BANNOCK  .         <.....*  73 

JOHNNY  GLOKE 78 

COAT  o'  CLAY 82 

THE  THREE  Cows 89 

THE  BLINDED  GIANT        •••••••  92 

SCRAPEFOOT      .        .        .        * 94 


xii  Contents 

THE  PEDLAR  OF  SWAFFHAM       .... 

THE  OLD  WITCH       .        .        .        ... 

THE  THREE  WISHES  .        .        .... 

THE  BURIED  MOON   ...... 

A  SON  OF  ADAM        ...... 

THE  CHILDREN  IN  THE  WOOD    .... 

THE  HOBYAHS  .         .        .        .        .  -, 

A  POTTLE  o'  BRAINS          .        .        . 

THE  KING  OF  ENGLAND  AND  His  THREE  SONS  . 

KING  JOHN  AND  THE  ABBOT  OF  CANTERBURY    . 

RUSHEN  COATIE         .        . 

THE  KING  'o  THE  CATS     ..... 

TAMLANE .         ...         .     .    . 

THE  STARS  IN  THE  SKY     . 

NEWS  !  . 

PUDDOCK,  MOUSIE  AND  RATTON       .        . 

THE  LITTLE  BULL-CALF 

THE  WEE,  WEE  MANNIE 

HABETROT  AND  SCANTLIE  MAB 
OLD  MOTHER  WIGGLE-WAGGLE 
CATSKIN   .        .        .        .        .        . 

STUPID'S  CRIES  .        .        . 

THE  LAMBTON  WORM        . 

THE  WISE  MEN  OF  GOTHAM  . 

THE  PRINCESS  OF  CANTERBURY 

NOTES  AND  REFERENCES    . 


Full  Page  Illustrations 

PAGB 

TAMLANE Frontispiece 

THE  BLACK  BULL  OF  NORROWAY 25 

TATTERCOATS 71 

THE  OLD  WITCH 103 

THE  CASTLE  OF  MELVALES 147 

THE  LITTLE  BULL-CALF 189 

THE  LAMBTON  WORM  .  .        .        .        .        .        .219 

WARNING  TO  CHILDREN 233 


xiii 


MORE  ENGLISH  FAIRY 
TALES 

[  The  Pied  Piper 

NEWTOWN,  or  Franchville,  as  't  was  called  of 
old,  is  a  sleepy  little  town,  as  you  all  may 
know,  upon  the  Solent  shore.  Sleepy  as  it  is 
now,  it  was  once  noisy  enough,  and  what  made  the 
noise  was — rats.  The  place  was  so  infested  with 
them  as  to  be  scarce  worth  living  in.  There  was  n't 
a  barn  or  a  corn-rick,  a  store-room  or  a  cupboard,  but 
they  ate  their  way  into  it.  Not  a  cheese  but  they 
gnawed  it  hollow,  not  a  sugar  puncheon  but  they 
cleared  out.  Why  the  very  mead  and  beer  in  the 
barrels  was  not  safe  from  them.  They  'd  gnaw  a  hole 
in  the  top  of  the  tun,  and  down  would  go  one  master 
rat's  tail,  and  when  he  brought  it  up  round  would 
crowd  all  the  friends  and  cousins,  and  each  would 
have  a  suck  at  the  tail. 

Had  they  stopped  here  it  might  have  been  borne. 
But  the  squeaking  and  shrieking,  the  hurrying  and 
scurrying,  so  that  you  could  neither  hear  yourself 


2  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

speak  nor  get  a  wink  of  good  honest  sleep  the  live- 
long night  I :  Not  :to  mention  that,  Mamma  must 
needs  sit  up,  and  keep  watch  and  ward  over  baby's 
Cradle,  or  there  'd  have  been  a  big  ugly  rat  running 
across  the  poor  little  fellow's  face,  and  doing  who 
knows  what  mischief. 

Why  did  n't  the  good  people  of  the  town  have  cats  ? 
Well  they  did,  and  there  was  a  fair  stand-up  fight,  but 
in  the  end  the  rats  were  too  many,  and  the  pussies 
were  regularly  driven  from  the  field.  Poison,  I  hear 
you  say  ?  Why,  they  poisoned  so  many  that  it  fairly 
bred  a  plague.  Ratcatchers  !  Why  there  was  n't  a 
ratcatcher  from  John  o'  Groat's  house  to  the  Land's 
End  that  had  n't  tried  his  luck.  But  do  what  they 
might,  cats  or  poison,  terrier  or  traps,  there  seemed 
to  be  more  rats  than  ever,  and  every  day  a  fresh  rat 
was  cocking  his  tail  or  pricking  his  whiskers. 

The  Mayor  and  the  town  council  were  at  their  wits* 
end.  As  they  were  sitting  one  day  in  the  town  hall 
racking  their  poor  brains,  and  bewailing  their  hard 
fate,  who  should  run  in  but  the  town  beadle. 
"  Please  your  Honour,"  says  he,  "  here  is  a  very  queer 
fellow  come  to  town.  I  don't  rightly  know  what  to 
make  of  him."  "  Show  him  in,"  said  the  Mayor,  and  in 
he  stepped.  A  queer  fellow,  truly.  For  there  was  n't 
a  colour  of  the  rainbow  but  you  might  find  it  in  some 
corner  of  his  dress,  and  he  was  tall  and  thin,  and  had 
keen  piercing  eyes. 

"I  'm  called  the  Pied  Piper,"  he  began.  "And 
pray  what  might  you  be  willing  to  pay  me,  if  I  rid 
you  of  every  single  rat  in  Franchville  ?  " 


The  Pied  Piper  3 

Well,  much  as  they  feared  the  rats,  they  feared 
parting  with  their  money  more,  and  fain  would  they 
have  higgled  and  haggled.  But  the  Piper  was  not  a 
man  to  stand  nonsense,  and  the  upshot  was  that  fifty 
pounds  were  promised  him  (and  it  meant  a  lot  of 
money  in  those  old  days)  as  soon  as  not  a  rat  was  left 
to  squeak  or  scurry  in  Franchville. 

Out  of  the  hall  stepped  the  Piper,  and  as  he  stepped 
he  laid  his  pipe  to  his  lips  and  a  shrill  keen  tune  sounded 


through  street  and  house.  And  as  each  note  pierced 
the  air  you  might  have  seen  a  strange  sight.  For  out 
of  every  hole  the  rats  came  tumbling.  There  were 
none  too  old  and  none  too  young,  none  too  big  and 


4  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

none  too  little  to  crowd  at  the  Piper's  heels  and  with 
eager  feet  and  upturned  noses  to  patter  after  him  as 
he  paced  the  streets.  Nor  was  the  Piper  unmindful 
of  the  little  toddling  ones,  for  every  fifty  yards  he  'd 
stop  and  give  an  extra  flourish  on  his  pipe  just  to  give 
them  time  to  keep  up  with  the  older  and  stronger  of 
the  band. 

Up  Silver  Street  he  went,  and  down  Gold  Street, 
and  at  the  end  of  Gold  Street  is  the  harbour  and  the 
broad  Solent  beyond.  And  as  he  paced  along,  slowly 
and  gravely,  the  townsfolk  flocked  to  door  and  win- 
dow, and  many  a  blessing  they  called  down  upon  his 
head. 

As  for  getting  near  him  there  were  too  many  rats. 
And  now  that  he  was  at  the  water's  edge  he  stepped 
into  a  boat,  and  not  a  rat,  as  he  shoved  off  into  deep 
water,  piping  shrilly  all  the  while,  but  followed  him, 
plashing,  paddling,  and  wagging  their  tails  with  de- 
light. On  and  on  he  played  and  played  until  the 
tide  went  down,  and  each  master  rat  sank  deeper  and 
deeper  in  the  slimy  ooze  of  the  harbour,  until  every 
mother's  son  of  them  was  dead  and  smothered. 

The  tide  rose  again,  and  the  Piper  stepped  on 
shore,  but  never  a  rat  followed.  You  may  fancy  the 
townsfolk  had  been  throwing  up  their  caps  and  hurrah- 
ing  and  stopping  up  rat  holes  and  setting  the  church 
bells  a-ringing.  But  when  the  Piper  stepped  ashore 
and  not  so  much  as  a  single  squeak  was  to  be  heard, 
the  Mayor  and  the  Council,  and  the  townsfolk  gener- 
ally, began  to  hum  and  to  ha  and  to  shake  their  heads. 

For  the  town  money  chest  had  been  sadly  emptied 


The  Pied  Piper  5 

of  late,  and  where  was  the  fifty  pounds  to  come  from  ? 
Such  an  easy  job,  too  !  Just  getting  into  a  boat  and 
playing  a  pipe  !  Why  the  Mayor  himself  could  have 
done  that  if  only  he  had  thought  of  it. 

So  he  hummed  and  ha  'ad  and  at  last,  "  Come,  my 
good  man,"  said  he,  "  you  see  what  poor  folk  we  are ; 
how  can  we  manage  to  pay  you  fifty  pounds  ?  Will 
you  not  take  twenty  ?  When  all  is  said  and  done, 
't  will  be  good  pay  for  the  trouble  you  Ve  taken." 

"  Fifty  pounds  was  what  I  bargained  for,"  said  the 
Piper  shortly ;  "  and  if  I  were  you  I  'd  pay  it  quickly. 
For  I  can  pipe  many  kinds  of  tunes,  as  folk  sometimes 
find  to  their  cost." 

"  Would  you  threaten  us,  you  strolling  vagabond  ?" 
shrieked  the  Mayor,  and  at  the  same  time  he  winked 
to  the  Council ;  "  the  rats  are  all  dead  and  drowned," 
muttered  he ;  and  so  "  You  may  do  your  worst,  my 
good  man,"  and  with  that  he  turned  short  upon  his 
heel. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Piper,  and  he  smiled  a  quiet 
smile.  With  that  he  laid  his  pipe  to  his  lips  afresh, 
but  now  there  came  forth  no  shrill  notes,  as  it  were, 
of  scraping  and  gnawing,  and  squeaking  and  scurry- 
ing, but  the  tune  was  joyous  and  resonant,  full  of  happy 
laughter  and  merry  play.  And  as  he  paced  down  the, 
streets  the  elders  mocked,  but  from  school-room  and 
play-room,  from  nursery  and  workshop,  not  a  child  but 
ran  out  with  eager  glee  and  shout  following  gaily  at 
the  Piper's  call.  Dancing,  laughing,  joining  hands  and 
tripping  feet,  the  bright  throng  moved  along  up  Gold 
Street  and  down  Silver  Street,  and  beyond  Silver 


6  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

Street  lay  the  cool  green  forest  full  of  old  oaks  and 
wide-spreading  beeches.  In  and  out  among  the  oak- 
trees  you  might  catch  glimpses  of  the  Piper's  many- 
coloured  coat.  You  might  hear  the  laughter  of  the 
children  break  and  fade  and  die  away  as  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  lone  green  wood  the  stranger  went 
and  the  children  followed. 

All  the  while,  the  elders  watched  and  waited.  They 
mocked  no  longer  now.  And  watch  and  wait  as  they 
might,  never  did  they  set  their  eyes  again  upon  the 
Piper  in  his  parti-coloured  coat.  Never  were  their 
hearts  gladdened  by  the  song  and  dance  of  the  child- 
ren issuing  forth  from  amongst  the  ancient  oaks  of 
the  forest 


Hereafterthis 


ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  farmer  called 
Jan,  and  he  lived  all  alone  by  himself  in  a 
little  farmhouse. 

By-and-by  he  thought  that  he  would  like  to  have  a 
wife  to  keep  it  all  vitty  for  him. 

So  he  went  a-courting  a  fine  maid,  and  he  said  to 
her :  "  Will  you  marry  me  ?" 

"  That  I  will,  to  be  sure,"  said  she. 

So  they  went  to  church,  and  were  wed.  After  the 
wedding  was  over,  she  got  up  on  his  horse  behind 
him,  and  he  brought  her  home.  And  they  lived  as 
happy  as  the  day  was  long. 

One  day,  Jan  said  to  his  wife,  "Wife  can  you 
milk-y?" 

"Oh,  yes,  Jan,  I  can  milk-y.  Mother  used  to 
milk-y,  when  I  lived  home." 

So  he  went  to  market  and  bought  her  ten  red  cows. 
All  went  well  till  one  day  when  she  had  driven  them 


8  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

to  the  pond  to  drink,  she  thought  they  did  not  drink 
fast  enough.  So  she  drove  them  right  into  the 
pond  to  make  them  drink  faster,  and  they  were  all 
drowned. 

When  Jan  came  home,  she  up  and  told  him  what 
she  had  done,  and  he  said,  "  Oh,  well,  there,  never 
mind,  my  dear,  better  luck  next  time." 

So  they  went  on  for  a  bit,  and  then,  one  day,  Jan 
said  to  his  wife,  "  Wife  can  you  serve  pigs?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  Jan,  I  can  serve  pigs.  Mother  used  to 
serve  pigs  when  I  lived  home." 

So  Jan  went  to  market  and  bought  her  some  pigs. 
All  went  well  till  one  day,  when  she  had  put  their 
food  into  the  trough  she  thought  they  did  not  eat  fast 
enough,  and  she  pushed  their  heads  into  the  trough 
to  make  them  eat  faster,  and  they  were  all  choked. 

When  Jan  came  home,  she  up  and  told  him  what 
she  had  done,  and  he  said,  "  Oh,  well,  there,  never 
mind,  my  dear,  better  luck  next  time." 

So  they  went  on  for  a  bit,  and  then,  one  day,  Jan 
said  to  his  wife,  "  Wife  can  you  bake-y?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  Jan,  I  can  bake-y.  Mother  used  to  bake-y 
when  I  lived  home." 

So  he  bought  everything  for  his  wife  so  that  she 
could  bake  bread.  All  went  well  for  a  bit,  till  one 
day,  she  thought  she  would  bake  white  bread  for  a 
treat  for  Jan.  So  she  carried  her  meal  to  the  top  of 
a  high  hill,  and  let  the  wind  blow  on  it,  for  she 
thought  to  herself  that  the  wind  would  blow  out  all 
the  bran.  But  the  wind  blew  away  meal  and  bran 
and  all — so  there  was  an  end  of  it. 


Hereafterthis  9 

When  Jan  came  home,  she  up  and  told  him  what 
she  had  done,  and  he  said,  "Oh,  well,  there,  never 
mind,  my  dear,  better  luck  next  time." 

So  they  went  on  for  a  bit,  and  then,  one  day,  Jan 
said  to  his  wife,  "  Wife  can  you  brew-y  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  Jan,  I  can  brew-y.  Mother  used  to 
brew-y  when  I  lived  home." 

So  he  bought  everything  proper  for  his  wife  to 
brew  ale  with.  All  went  well  for  a  bit,  till  one  day 
when  she  had  brewed  her  ale  and  put  it  in  the  barrel, 
a  big  black  dog  came  in  and  looked  up  in  her  face. 
She  drove  him  out  of  the  house,  but  he  stayed  outside 
the  door  and  still  looked  up  in  her  face.  And  she 
got  so  angry  that  she  pulled  out  the  plug  of  the 
barrel,  threw  it  at  the  dog,  and  said,  "  What  dost 
look  at  me  for  ?  I  be  Jan's  wife."  Then  the  dog  ran 
down  the  road,  and  she  ran  after  him  to  chase  him 
right  away.  When  she  came  back  again,  she  found 
that  the  ale  had  all  run  out  of  the  barrel,  and  so  there 
was  an  end  of  it. 

When  Jan  came  home,  she  up  and  told  him  what 
she  had  done,  and  he  said,  "  Oh  well,  there,  never 
mind,  my  dear,  better  luck  next  time." 

So  they  went  on  for  a  bit,  and  then,  one  day,  she 
thought  to  herself,  "  T  is  time  to  clean  up  my  house." 
When  she  was  taking  down  her  big  bed  she  found  a 
bag  of  groats  on  the  tester.  So  when  Jan  came 
home,  she  up  and  said  to  him,  "  Jan,  what  is  that  bag 
of  groats  on  the  tester  for  ?  " 

"  That  is  for  Hereafterthis,  my  dear." 

Now,  there  was  a  robber  outside  the  window,  and 


io  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

he  heard  what  Jan  said.  Next  day,  he  waited  till  Jan 
had  gone  to  market,  and  then  he  came  and  knocked 
at  the  door.  "  What  do  you  please  to  want  ?  "  said 
Mally. 

"  I  am  Hereafterthis,"  said  the  robber,  "  I  have 
come  for  the  bag  of  groats." 

Now  the  robber  was  dressed  like  a  fine  gentleman, 
so  she  thought  to  herself  it  was  very  kind  of  so  fine  a 
man  to  come  for  the  bag  of  groats,  so  she  ran  upstairs 
and  fetched  the  bag  of  groats,  and  gave  it  to  the 
robber  and  he  went  away  with  it. 

When  Jan  came  home,  she  said  to  him,  "Jan, 
Hereafterthis  has  been  for  the  bag  of  groats." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  wife  ?"  said  Jan. 

So  she  up  and  told  him,  and  he  said,  "  Then  I  'm  a 
ruined  man,  for  that  money  was  to  pay  our  rent  with. 
The  only  thing  we  can  do  is  to  roam  the  world  over 
till  we  find  the  bag  of  groats."  Then  Jan  took  the 
house-door  off  its  hinges,  "That  's  all  we  shall  have 
to  lie  on,"  he  said.  So  Jan  put  the  door  on  his  back, 
and  they  both  set  out  to  look  for  Hereafterthis. 
Many  a  long  day  they  went,  and  in  the  night  Jan 
used  to  put  the  door  on  the  branches  of  a  tree,  and 
they  would  sleep  on  it.  One  night  they  came  to  a 
big  hill,  and  there  was  a  high  tree  at  the  foot.  So 
Jan  put  the  door  up  in  it,  and  they  got  up  in  the  tree 
and  went  to  sleep.  By-and-by  Jan's  wife  heard  a 
noise,  and  she  looked  to  see  what  it  was.  It  was  an 
opening  of  a  door  in  the  side  of  the  hill.  Out  came 
two  gentlemen  with  a  long  table,  and  behind  them 
fine  ladies  and  gentlemen,  each  carrying  a  bag,  and 


Hereafterthis  n 

one  of  them  was  Hereafterthis  with  the  bag  of  groats. 
They  sat  round  the  table,  and  began  to  drink  and 
talk  and  count  up  all  the  money  in  the  bags.  So 
then  Jan's  wife  woke  him  up,  and  asked  what  they 
should  do. 

"  Now  's  our  time,"  said  Jan,  and  he  pushed  the 
door  off  the  branches,  and  it  fell  right  in  the  very 
middle  of  the  table,  and  frightened  the  robbers  so 
that  they  all  ran  away.  Then  Jan  and  his  wife  got 
down  from  the  tree,  took  as  many  money-bags  as  they 
could  carry  on  the  door,  and  went  straight  home. 
And  Jan  bought  his  wife  more  cows,  and  more  pigs, 
and  they  lived  happy  ever  after. 


The  Golden  Ball 

THERE  were  two  lasses,  daughters  of  one  mother, 
and  as  they  came  from  the  fair,  they  saw  a 
right  bonny  young  man  stand  at  the  house- 
door  before  them.  They  never  saw  such  a  bonny 
man  before.  He  had  gold  on  his  cap,  gold  on  his 
finger,  gold  on  his  neck,  a  red  gold  watch-chain — eh  ! 
but  he  had  brass.  He  had  a  golden  ball  in  each 
hand.  He  gave  a  ball  to  each  lass,  and  she  was  to 
keep  it,  and  if  she  lost  it,  she  was  to  be  hanged.  One 
of  the  lasses,  't  was  the  youngest,  lost  her  ball.  I  '11 
tell  thee  how.  She  was  by  a  park-paling,  and  she 
was  tossing  her  ball,  and  it  went  up,  and  up,  and  up, 
till  it  went  fair  over  the  paling ;  and  when  she  climbed 


The  Golden  Ball  13 

up  to  look,  the  ball  ran  along  the  green  grass,  and  it 
went  right  forward  to  the  door  of  the  house,  and  the 
ball  went  in  and  she  saw  it  no  more. 

So  she  was  taken  away  to  be  hanged  by  the  neck 
till  she  was  dead  because  she  'd  lost  her  ball. 

But  she  had  a  sweetheart,  and  he  said  he  would  go 
and  get  the  ball.  So  he  went  to  the  park-gate,  but 
't  was  shut ;  so  he  climbed  the  hedge,  and  when  he 
got  to  the  top  of  the  hedge,  an  old  woman  rose  up 
out  of  the  dyke  before  him,  and  said,  if  he  wanted  to 
get  the  ball,  he  must  sleep  three  nights  in  the  house. 
He  said  he  would. 

Then  he  went  into  the  house,  and  looked  for  the 
ball,  but  could  not  find  it.  Night  came  on  and  he 
heard  bogles  move  in  the  courtyard  ;  so  he  looked  out 
o'  the  window,  and  the  yard  was  full  of  them. 

Presently  he  heard  steps  coming  upstairs.  He  hid 
behind  the  door,  and  was  as  still  as  a  mouse.  Then 
in  came  a  big  giant  five  times  as  tall  as  he,  and  the 
giant  looked  round  but  did  not  see  the  lad,  so  he  went 
to  the  window  and  bowed  to  look  out ;  and  as  he 
bowed  on  his  elbows  to  see  the  bogles  in  the  yard, 
the  lad  stepped  behind  him,  and  with  one  blow  of  his 
sword  he  cut  him  in  twain,  so  that  the  top  part  of 
him  fell  in  the  yard,  and  the  bottom  part  stood  look- 
ing out  of  the  window. 

There  was  a  great  cry  from  the  bogles  when  they 
saw  half  the  giant  come  tumbling  down  to  them,  and 
they  called  out,  "  There  comes  half  our  master,  give 
us  the  other  half." 

So  the  lad  said,  "  It 's  no  use  of  thee,  thou  pair  of 


H  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

legs,  standing  alone  at  the  window,  as  thou  hast  no  eye 
to  see  with,  so  go  join  thy  brother ; "  and  he  cast  the 
lower  part  of  the  giant  after  the  top  part.  Now  when 
the  bogles  had  gotten  all  the  giant  they  were  quiet. 

Next  night  the  lad  was  at  the  house  again,  and  now 
a  second  giant  came  in  at  the  door,  and  as  he  came 
in  the  lad  cut  him  in  twain,  but  the  legs  walked  on  to 
the  chimney  and  went  up  them.  "  Go,  get  thee  after 
thy  legs,"  said  the  lad  to  the  head,  and  he  cast  the 
head  up  the  chimney  too. 

The  third  night  the  lad  got  into  bed,  and  he  heard 
the  bogles  striving  under  the  bed,  and  they  had  the 
ball  there,  and  they  were  casting  it  to  and  fro. 

Now  one  of  them  has  his  leg  thrust  out  from  under 
the  bed,  so  the  lad  brings  his  sword  down  and  cuts  it  off. 
Then  another  thrusts  his  arm  out  at  other  side  of  the 
bed,  and  the  lad  cuts  that  off.  So  at  last  he  had 
maimed  them  all,  and  they  all  went  crying  and  wailing 
off,  and  forgot  the  ball,  but  he  took  it  from  under  the 
bed,  and  went  to  seek  his  true-love. 

Now  the  lass  was  taken  to  York  to  be  hanged ; 
she  was  brought  out  on  the  scaffold,  and  the  hangman 
said,  "  Now,  lass,  thou  must  hang  by  the  neck  till 
thou  be  'st  dead."  But  she  cried  out : 

"  Stop,  stop,  I  think  I  see  my  mother  coming ! 
O  mother,  hast  brought  my  golden  ball 
And  come  to  set  me  free  ?  " 

**I  Ve  neither  brought  thy  golden  ball 

Nor  come  to  set  thee  free, 
But  I  have  come  to  see  thee  hung 
Upon  this  gallows-tree." 


The  Golden  Ball  15 

Then  the  hangman  said,  "  Now,  lass,  say  thy  pray- 
ers for  thou  must  die."  But  she  said  : 

"  Stop,  stop,  I  think  I  see  my  father  coming ! 
O  father,  hast  brought  my  golden  ball 
And  come  to  set  me  free  ?  " 

"  I  Ve  neither  brought  thy  golden  ball 

Nor  come  to  set  thee  free, 
But  I  have  come  to  see  thee  hung 
Upon  this  gallows-tree." 

Then  the  hangman  said,  "  Hast  thee  done  thy 
prayers  ?  Now,  lass,  put  thy  head  into  the  noose." 

But  she  answered,  "  Stop,  stop,  I  think  I  see  my 
brother  coming  !  "  And  again  she  sang,  and  then  she 
thought  she  saw  her  sister  coming,  then  her  uncle, 
then  her  aunt,  then  her  cousin  ;  but  after  this  the 
hangman  said,  "  I  will  stop  no  longer,  thou  'rt  making 
game  of  me.  Thou  must  be  hung  at  once." 

But  now  she  saw  her  sweetheart  coming  through 
the  crowd,  and  he  held  over  his  head  in  the  air  her 
own  golden  ball ;  so  she  said  : 

"  Stop,  stop,  I  see  my  sweetheart  coming ! 
Sweetheart,  hast  brought  my  golden  ball 
And  come  to  set  me  free  ?  " 

"  Aye,  I  have  brought  thy  golden  ball 

And  come  to  set  thee  free, 
I  have  not  come  to  see  thee  hung 
Upon  this  gallows-tree." 

And  he  took  her  home,  and  they  lived  happy  we? 
after. 


My  Own  Self 


IN  a  tiny  house  in  the  North  Countrie,  far  away 
from  any  town  or  village,  there  lived  not  long 
ago,  a  poor  widow  all  alone  with  her  little  son,  a 
six-year-old  boy. 

The  house-door  opened  straight  on  to  the  hill-side 
and  all  round  about  were  moorlands  and  huge  stones, 
and  swampy  hollows  ;  never  a  house  nor  a  sign  of  life 
wherever  you  might  look,  for  their  nearest  neigh- 
bours were  the  "  ferlies  "  in  the  glen  below,  and  the 
"  will-o'-the-wisps  "  in  the  long  grass  along  the  path- 
side. 

And  many  a  tale  she  could  tell  of  the  "good  folk  " 
calling  to  each  other  in  the  oak-trees,  and  the  twink- 
ling lights  hopping  on  to  the  very  window  sill,  on 
dark  nights  ;  but  in  spite  of  the  loneliness,  she  lived 
on  from  year  to  year  in  the  little  house,  perhaps 
because  she  was  never  asked  to  pay  any  rent  for  it. 

But  she  did  not  care  to  sit  up  late,  when  the  fire 
burnt  low,  and  no  one  knew  what  might  be  about  ;  so, 
when  they  had  had  their  supper  she  would  make  up  a 
good  fire  and  go  off  to  bed,  so  that  if  anything  terrible 
did  happen,  she  could  always  hide  her  head  under  the 
bed-clothes. 


My  Own  Self  17 

This,  however,  was  far  too  early  to  please  her  little 
son  ;  so  when  she  called  him  to  bed,  he  would  go  on 
playing  beside  the  fire,  as  if  he  did  not  hear  her. 

He  had  always  been  bad  to  do  with  since  the  day 
he  was  born,  and  his  mother  did  not  often  care  to 
cross  him  ;  indeed,  the  more  she  tried  to  make  him 
obey  her,  the  less  heed  he  paid  to  anything  she  said, 
so  it  usually  ended  by  his  taking  his  own  way. 

But  one  night,  just  at  the  fore-end  of  winter,  the 
widow  could  not  make  up  her  mind  to  go  off  to  bed, 
and  leave  him  playing  by  the  fireside  ;  for  the  wind 
was  tugging  at  the  door,  and  rattling  the  window- 
panes,  and  well  she  knew  that  on  such  a  night,  fairies 
and  such  like  were  bound  to  be  out  and  about,  and 
bent  on  mischief.  So  she  tried  to  coax  the  boy  into 
going  at  once  to  bed : 

"  The  safest  bed  to  bide  in,  such  a  night  as  this  ! " 
she  said  :  but  no,  he  would  n't. 

Then  she  threatened  to  "give  him  the  stick,"  but  it 
was  no  use. 

The  more  she  begged  and  scolded,  the  more  he 
shook  his  head  ;  and  when  at  last  she  lost  patience 
and  cried  that  the  fairies  would  surely  come  and  fetch 
hiip.  away,  he  only  laughed  and  said  he  wished  they 
would,  for  he  would  like  one  to  play  with. 

At  that  his  mother  burst  into  tears,  and  went  off  to 
bed  in  despair,  certain  that  after  such  words  some- 
thing dreadful  would  happen  ;  while  her  naughty  lit- 
tle son  sat  on  his  stool  by  the  fire,  not  at  all  put  out 
by  her  crying. 

But  he  had  not  long  been  sitting  there  alone,  when 


1 8  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

he  heard  a  fluttering  sound  near  him  in  the  chimney, 
and  presently  down  by  his  side  dropped  the  tiniest 
wee  girl  you  could  think  off  ;  she  was  not  a  span 
high,  and  had  hair  like  spun  silver,  eyes  as  green 
as  grass,  and  cheeks  red  as  June  roses. 
The  little  boy  looked  at  her  with  suprise. 

"  Oh  ! "  said  he  ;  "  what  do  they  call 
ye?" 

"  My  own  self,"  she  said  in  a  shrill 
but  sweet  little  voice,  and  she  looked 
at  him  too.  "  And  what  do  they  call 
ye?" 

"Just  my  own  self  too!"  he  an- 
swered cautiously ;  and  with  that  they  began  to  play 
together. 

She  certainly  showed  him  some  fine  games.  She 
made  animals  out  of  the  ashes  that  looked  and  moved 
like  life  ;  and  trees  with  green  leaves  waving  over  tiny 
houses,  with  men  and  women  an  inch  high  in  them, 
who,  when  she  breathed  on  them,  fell  to  walking  and 
talking  quite  properly. 

But  the  fire  was  getting  low,  and  the  light  dim,  and 
presently  the  little  boy  stirred  the  coals  with  a  stick, 
to  make  them  blaze  ;  when  out  jumped  a  red-hot 
cinder,  and  where  should  it  fall,  but  on  the  fairy- 
child's  tiny  foot. 

Thereupon  she  set  up  such  a  squeal,  that  the  boy 
dropped  the  stick,  and  clapped  his  hands  to  his  ears ; 
but  it  grew  to  so  shrill  a  screech,  that  it  was  like  all 
the  wind  in  the  world  whistling  through  one  tiny 
keyhole. 


My  Own  Self  19 

There  was  a  sound  in  the  chimney  again,  but  this 
time  the  little  boy  did  not  wait  to  see  what  it  was,  but 
bolted  off  to  bed,  where  he  hid  under  the  blankets  and 
listened  in  fear  and  trembling  to  what  went  on. 

A  voice  came  from  the  chimney  speaking  sharply : 

"  Who  's  there,  and  what  's  wrong?"  it  said. 

"It  's  my  own  self,"  sobbed  the  fairy-child;  "and 
my  foot 's  burnt  sore.  O-o-h  ! " 

"  Who  did  it  ?  "  said  the  voice  angrily  ;  this  time  it 
sounded  nearer,  and  the  boy,  peeping  from  under  the 
clothes,  could  see  a  white  face  looking  out  from  the 
chimney-opening. 

"Just  my  own  self  tool"  said  the  fairy-child 
again. 

"  Then  if  ye  did  it  your  own  self,"  cried  the  elf- 
mother  shrilly,  "  what  's  the  use  o' 
making  all  this  fash  about  it  ?  " — and 
with  that  she  stretched  out  a  long 
thin  arm,  and  caught  the  creature 
by  its  ear,  and,  shaking  it  roughly, 
pulled  it  after  her,  out  of  sight  up 
the  chimney. 

The  little  boy  lay  awake  a  long  time,  listening,  in 
case  the  fairy-mother  should  come  back  after  all ;  and 
next  evening  after  supper,  his  mother  was  surprised 
to  find  that  he  was  willing  to  go  to  bed  whenever  she 
liked. 

"  He 's  taking  a  turn  for  the  better  at  last ! "  she  said 
to  herself ;  but  he  was  thinking  just  then  that,  when 
next  a  fairy  came  to  play  with  him,  he  might  not  get 
off  quite  so  easily  as  he  had  done  this  time. 


Black  Bull  of  Norroway 

IN  Norroway,  long  time  ago,  there  lived  a  certain 
lady,  and  she  had  three  daughters  :  The  oldest 
of  them  said  to  her  mother :  "  Mother,  bake  me  a 
bannock,  and  roast  me  a  collop,  for  I  'm  going  away 
to  seek  my  fortune."  Her  mother  did  so  ;  and  the 
daughter  went  away  to  an  old  witch  washerwife  and 
told  her  purpose.  The  old  wife  bade  her  stay  that 
day,  and  look  out  of  her  back-door,  and  see  what  she 
could  see.  She  saw  nought  the  first  day.  The  sec- 
ond day  she  did  the  same,  and  saw  nought.  On  the 
third  day  she  looked  again,  and  saw  a  coach-and-si* 


Black  Bull  of  Norroway  21 

coming  along  the  road.  She  ran  in  and  told  the  old 
wife  what  she  saw.  "Well,"  quoth  the  old  woman, 
"yen's  for  you."  So  they  took  her  into  the  coach 
and  galloped  off. 

The  second  daughter  next  says  to  her  mother : 
"  Mother,  bake  me  a  bannock,  and  roast  me  a  collop, 
for  I  'm  going  away  to  seek  my  fortune."  Her  moth- 
er did  so  ;  and  away  she  went  to  the  old  wife,  as  her 
sister  had  done.  On  the  third  day  she  looked  out  of 
the  back-door,  and  saw  a  coach-and-four  coming  along 
the  road.  "  Well,"  quoth  the  old  woman,  "yon  's  for 
you."  So  they  took  her  in,  and  off  they  set. 

The  third  daughter  says  to  her  mother  :  "  Mother, 
bake  me  a  bannock,  and  roast  me  a  collop,  for  I  'm 
going  away  to  seek  my  fortune."  Her  mother  did  so  ; 
and  away  she  went  to  the  old  witch.  She  bade  her 
look  out  of  her  back-door,  and  see  what  she  could  see. 
She  did  so ;  and  when  she  came  back,  said  she  saw 
nought.  The  second  day  she  did  the  same,  and  saw 
nought.  The  third  day  she  looked  again,  and  on 
coming  back  said  to  the  old  wife  she  saw  nought  but 
a  great  Black  Bull  coming  crooning  along  the  road. 
"Well,"  quoth  the  old  witch,  "yon  's  for  you."  On 
hearing  this  she  was  next  to  distracted  with  grief  and 
terror  ;  but  she  was  lifted  up  and  set  on  his  back,  and 
away  they  went. 

Aye  they  travelled,  and  on  they  travelled,  till  the 
lady  grew  faint  with  hunger.  "  Eat  out  of  my  right 
ear,"  says  the  Black  Bull,  "  and  drink  out  of  my  left 
ear,  and  set  by  your  leaving."  So  she  did  as  he  said, 
and  was  wonderfully  refreshed.  And  long  they  rode, 


22  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

and  hard  they  rode,  till  they  came  in  sight  of  a  very  big 
and  bonny  castle.  "Yonder  we  must  be  this  night," 
quoth  the  Bull ;  "  for  my  elder  brother  lives  yonder ; " 
and  presently  they  were  at  the  place.  They  lifted 
her  off  his  back,  and  took  her  in,  and  sent  him  away 
to  a  park  for  the  night.  In  the  morning,  when  they 
brought  the  Bull  home,  they  took  the  lady  into  a  fine 
shining  parlour,  and  gave  her  a  beautiful  apple,  telling 
her  not  to  break  it  till  she  was  in  the  greatest  strait 
ever  mortal  was  in  in  the  world,  and  that  would  bring 
her  out  of  it.  Again  she  was  lifted  on  the  Bull's 
back,  and  after  she  had  ridden  far,  and  farther  than  I 
can  tell,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  far  bonnier  castle, 
and  far  farther  away  than  the  last.  Says  the  Bull  to 
her :  "  Yonder  we  must  be  this  night,  for  my  second 
brother  lives  yonder ; "  and  they  were  at  the  place 
directly.  They  lifted  her  down  and  took  her  in,  and 
sent  the  Bull  to  the  field  for  the  night.  In  the  morn- 
ing they  took  the  lady  into  a  fine  and  rich  room,  and 
gave  her  the  finest  pear  she  had  ever  seen,  bidding 
her  not  to  break  it  till  she  was  in  the  greatest  strait 
ever  mortal  could  be  in,  and  that  would  get  her  out 
of  it.  Again  she  was  lifted  and  set  on  his  back,  and 
away  they  went.  And  long  they  rode,  and  hard  they 
rode,  till  they  came  in  sight  of  the  far  biggest  castle, 
and  far  farthest  off,  they  had  yet  seen.  "  We  must 
be  yonder  to-night,"  says  the  Bull,  "  for  my  young 
brother  lives  yonder  ; "  and  they  were  there  directly. 
They  lifted  her  down,  took  her  in,  and  sent  the  Bull 
to  the  field  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  they  took 
her  into  a  room,  the  finest  of  all,  and  gave  her  a  plum, 


Black  Bull  of  Norroway  23 

telling  her  not  to  break  it  till  she  was  in  the  greatest 
strait  mortal  could  be  in,  and  that  would  get  her  out 
of  it.  Presently  they  brought  home  the  Bull,  set  the 
lady  on  his  back,  and  away  they  went. 

And  aye  they  rode,  and  on  they  rode,  till  they  came 
to  a  dark  and  ugsome  glen,  where  they  stopped,  and 
the  lady  lighted  down.  Says  the  Bull  to  her  :  "  Here 
you  must  stay  till  I  go  and  fight  the  Old  One.  You 
must  seat  yourself  on  that  stone,  and  move  neither 
hand  nor  foot  till  I  come  back,  else  I  '11  never  find  you 
again.  And  if  everything  round  about  you  turns 
blue,  I  have  beaten  the  Old  One ;  but  should  all 
things  turn  red,  he  '11  have  conquered  me."  She  set 
herself  down  on  the  stone,  and  by-and-by  all  round 
her  turned  blue.  Overcome  with  joy,  she  lifted  one 
of  her  feet,  and  crossed  it  over  the  other,  so  glad  was 
she  that  her  companion  was  victorious.  The  Bull  re- 
turned and  sought  for  her,  but  never  could  find  her. 

Long  she  sat,  and  aye  she  wept,  till  she  weaned. 
At  last  she  rose  and  went  away,  she  did  n't  know 
where.  On  she  wandered,  till  she  came  to  a  great  hill 
of  glass,  that  she  tried  all  she  could  to  climb,  but 
was  n't  able.  Round  the  bottom  of  the  hill  she  went, 
sobbing  and  seeking  a  passage  over,  till  at  last  she 
came  to  a  smith's  house ;  and  the  smith  promised,  if 
she  would  serve  him  seven  years,  he  would  make  her 
iron  shoon,  wherewith  she  could  climb  over  the  glassy 
hill.  At  seven  years'  end  she  got  her  iron  shoon, 
clomb  the  glassy  hill,  and  chanced  to  come  to  the  old 
washerwife's  habitation.  There  she  was  told  of  a 
gallant  young  knight  that  had  given  in  some  clothes 


24  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

all  over  blood  to  wash,  and  whoever  washed  them  was 
to  be  his  wife.  The  old  wife  had  washed  till  she  was 
tired,  and  then  she  set  her  daughter  at  it,  and  both 
washed,  and  they  washed,  and  they  washed,  in  hopes 
of  getting  the  young  knight ;  but  for  all  they  could  do 
they  could  n't  bring  out  a  stain.  At  length  they  set 
the  stranger  damsel  to  work  ;  and  whenever  she  be- 
gan, the  stains  came  out  pure  and  clean,  and  the  old 
wife  made  the  knight  believe  it  was  her  daughter  had 
washed  the  clothes.  So  the  knight  and  the  eldest 
daughter  were  to  be  married,  and  the  stranger  damsel 
was  distracted  at  the  thought  of  it,  for  she  was  deeply 
in  love  with  him.  So  she  bethought  her  of  her  apple, 
and  breaking  it,  found  it  filled  with  gold  and  precious 
jewellery,  the  richest  she  had  ever  seen.  "  All  these," 
she  said  to  the  eldest  daughter,  "  I  will  give  you,  on 
condition  that  you  put  off  your  marriage  for  one  day, 
and  allow  me  to  go  into  his  room  alone  at  night." 
The  lady  consented  ;  but  meanwhile  the  old  wife  had 
prepared  a  sleeping  drink,  and  given  it  to  the  knight, 
who  drank  it,  and  never  wakened  till  next  morning. 
The  live-long  night  the  damsel  sobbed  and  sang : 

"  Seven  long  years  I  served  for  thee, 
The  glassy  hill  I  clomb  for  thee, 
Thy  bloody  clothes  I  wrang  for  thee ; 
And  wilt  thou  not  waken  and  turn  to  me?" 

Next  day  she  knew  not  what  to  do  for  grief.  Then 
she  broke  the  pear,  and  found  it  filled  with  jewellery 
far  richer  than  the  contents  of  the  apple.  With 
these  jewels  she  bargained  for  permission  to  be  a 


26  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

second  night  in  the  young  knight's  chamber;  but  the 
old  wife  gave  him  another  sleeping  drink,  and  again 
he  slept  till  morning.  All  night  she  kept  sighing 
and  singing  as  before : 

"  Seven  long  years  I  served  for  thee, 
The  glassy  hill  I  clomb  for  thee, 
Thy  bloody  clothes  I  wrang  for  thee ; 
And  wilt  thou  not  waken  and  turn  to  me  ?  " 

Still  he  slept,  and  she  nearly  lost  hope  altogether. 
But  that  day,  when  he  was  out  hunting,  somebody 
asked  him  what  noise  and  moaning  was  that  they 
heard  all  last  night  in  his  bedchamber.  He  said  :  "  I 
have  heard  no  noise."  But  they  assured  him  there 
was ;  and  he  resolved  to  keep  waking  that  night  to 
try  what  he  could  hear.  That  being  the  third  night, 
and  the  damsel  being  between  hope  and  despair,  she 
broke  her  plum,  and  it  held  far  the  richest  jewellery 
of  the  three.  She  bargained  as  before ;  and  the  old 
wife,  as  before,  took  in  the  sleeping  drink  to  the 
young  knight's  chamber  ;  but  he  told  her  he  could  n't 
drink  it  that  night  without  sweetening.  And  when  she 
went  away  for  some  honey  to  sweeten  it  with,  he 
poured  out  the  drink,  and  so  made  the  old  wife  think 
he  had  drunk  it.  They  all  went  to  bed  again,  and 
the  damsel  began,  as  before,  singing : 

"  Seven  long  years  I  served  for  thee, 
The  glassy  hill  I  clomb  for  thee, 
Thy  bloody  clothes  I  wrang  for  thee ; 
And  wilt  thou  not  waken  and  turn  to  me  ?  " 

He  heard,  and  turned  to  her.     And  she  told  him  all 


Black  Bull  of  Norroway  27 

that  had  befallen  her,  and  he  told  her  all  that  had 
happened  to  him.  And  he  caused  the  old  washerwife 
and  her  daughter  to  be  burnt.  And  they  were  mar- 
ried, and  he  and  she  are  living  happy  to  this  day,  for 
aught  I  know. 


Yallery  Brown 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  and  a  very  good  time  it  was, 
though  it  was  n't  in  my  time,  nor  in  your 
time,  nor  any  one  else's  time,  there  was  a 
young  lad  of  eighteen  or  so  named  Tom  Tiver  work- 
ing on  the  Hall  Farm.  One  Sunday  he  was  walking 
across  the  west  field,  't  was  a  beautiful  July  night, 
warm  and  still  and  the  air  was  full  of  little  sounds  as 
though  the  trees  and  grass  were  chattering  to  them- 
selves. And  all  at  once  there  came  a  bit  ahead  of  him 
the  pitifullest  greetings  ever  he  heard,  sob,  sobbing, 
like  a  bairn  spent  with  fear,  and  nigh  heartbroken  ; 
breaking  off  into  a  moan  and  then  rising  again  in  a 
long  whimpering  wailing  that  made  him  feel  sick  to 
hark  to  it.  He  began  to  look  everywhere  for  the 
poor  creature.  "  It  must  be  Sally  BraUon's  child," 
he  thought  to  himself ;  "  she  was  always  a  flighty 
thing,  and  never  looked  after  it.  Like  as  not,  she's 
flaunting  about  the  lanes,  and  has  clean  forgot  the 
babby."  But  though  he  looked  and  looked,  he  could 
see  nought.  And  presently  the  whimpering  got 
louder  and  stronger  in  the  quietness,  and  he  thought 
he  could  make  out  words  of  some  sort.  He 


Yallery  Brown  29 

hearkened  with  all  his  ears,  and  the  sorry  thing  was 
saying  words  all  mixed  up  with  sobbing — 

"  Ooh  !  the  stone,  the  great  big  stone !  ooh !  the 
stones  on  top  ! " 

Naturally  he  wondered  where  the  stone  might  be, 
and  he  looked  again,  and  there  by  the  hedge  bottom 
was  a  great  flat  stone,  nigh  buried  in  the  mools,  and 
hid  in  the  cotted  grass  and  weeds.  One  of  the  stones 
was  called  the  "  Strangers'  Table."  However,  down 
he  fell  on  his  knee-bones  by  that  stone,  and  hearkened 
again.  Clearer  than  ever,  but  tired  and  spent  with 
greeting  came  the  little  sobbing  voice — "  Ooh  !  ooh  ! 
the  stone,  the  stone  on  top."  He  was  gey,  and  mis- 
liking  to  meddle  with  the  thing,  but  he  could  n't 
stand  the  whimpering  babby,  and  he  tore  like  mad  at 
the  stone,  till  he  felt  it  lifting  from  the  mools,  and  all 
at  once  it  came  with  a  sough  out  o'  the  damp'earth 
and  the  tangled  grass  and  growing  things.  And 
there  in  the  hole  lay  a  tiddy  thing  on  its  back,  blink- 
ing up  at  the  moon  and  at  him.  'T  was  no  bigger 
than  a  year-old  baby,  but  it  had  long  cotted  hair  and 
beard,  twisted  round  and  round  its  body  so  that  you 
could  n't  see  its  clothes ;  and  the  hair  was  all 
yaller  and  shining  and  silky,  like  a  bairn's  ;  but  the 
face  of  it  was  old  and  as  if  't  were  hundreds  of  years 
since  't  was  young  and  smooth.  Just  a  heap  of 
wrinkles,  and  two  bright  black  eyne  in  the  midst,  set 
in  a  lot  of  shining  yaller  hair ;  and  the  skin  was  the 
colour  of  the  fresh  turned  earth  in  the  spring — brown 
as  brown  could  be,  and  its  bare  hands  and  feet  were 
brown  like  the  face  of  it.  The  greeting  had  stopped, 


30  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

but  the  tears  were  standing  on  its  cheek,  and  the 
tiddy  thing  looked  mazed  like  in  the  moonshine  and 
the  night  air. 

The  creature's  eyne  got  used  like  to  the  moonlight, 
and  presently  he  looked  up  in  Tom's  face  as  bold  as 
ever  was ;  "  Tom,"  says  he,  "  thou  'rt  a  good  lad  !  "  as 
cool  as  thou  can  think,  says  he,  "  Tom,  thou  'rt  a 
good  lad  ! "  and  his  voice  was  soft  and  high  and  pip- 
ing like  a  little  bird  twittering. 

Tom  touched  his  hat,  and  began  to  think  what  he 
ought  to  say.  "  Houts ! "  says  the  thing  again,  "  thou 


need  n't  be  feared  o'  me  ;  thou  'st  done  me  a  better 
turn  than  thou  know'st,  my  lad,  and  I  '11  do  as  much 
for  thee."  Tom  could  n't  speak  yet,  but  he  thought, 
"  Lord  !  for  sure  't  is  a  bogle  ! " 

"  No  ! "  says  he  as  quick  as  quick,  "  I  am  no  bogle, 
but  ye  'd  best  not  ask  me  what  I  be  ;  anyways  I  be  a 
good  friend  o'  thine."  Tom's  very  knee-bones  struck, 
for  certainly  an  ordinary  body  could  n't  have  known 


Yallery  Brown  31 

what  he  'd  been  thinking  to  himself,  but  he  looked  so 
kind  like,  and  spoke  so  fair,  that  he  made  bold  to  get 
out,  a  bit  quavery  like — 

"  Might  I  be  axing  to  know  your  honour's  name?" 

"  H  'm,"  says  he,  pulling  his  beard  ;  "  as  for  that " — 
and  he  thought  a  bit — "  ay  so,"  he  went  on  at  last, 
11  Yallery  Brown  thou  mayst  call  me,  Yallery  Brown ; 
't  is  my  nature  seest  thou,  and  as  for  a  name  't  will 
do  as  any  other.  Yallery  Brown,  Tom,  Yallery 
Brown  's  thy  friend,  my  lad." 

14  Thankee,  master,"  says  Tom,  quite  meek  like. 

"  And  now,"  he  says,  "  I  'm  in  a  hurry  to-night,  but 
tell  me  quick,  what  '11  I  do  for  thee  ?  Wilt  have  a 
wife  ?  I  can  give  thee  the  finest  lass  in  the  town. 
Wilt  be  rich  ?  I  '11  give  thee  gold  as  much  as  thou 
can  carry.  Or  wilt  have  help  wi'  thy  work?  Only 
say  the  word." 

Tom  scratched  his  head.  "  Well,  as  for  a  wife,  I 
have  no  hankering  after  such  ;  they  're  but  bother- 
some bodies,  and  I  have  women  folk  at  home  as  '11 
mend  my  clouts  ;  and  for  gold  that 's  as  may  be,  but 
for  work,  there,  I  can't  abide  work,  and  if  thou  'It  give 
me  a  helpin'  hand  in  it  I  '11  thank " 

"  Stop,"  says  he,  quick  as  lightning,  "  I  '11  help  thee 
and  welcome,  but  if  ever  thou  sayest  that  to  me — if 
ever  thou  thankest  me,  see'st  thou,  thou  'It  never  see 
me  more.  Mind  that  now ;  I  want  no  thanks,  I  '11 
have  no  thanks ; "  and  he  stampt  his  tiddy  foot  on 
the  earth  and  looked  as  wicked  as  a  raging  bull. 

"  Mind  that  now,  great  lump  that  thou  be,"  he  went 
on,  calming  down  a  bit,  "  and  if  ever  thou  need'st  help. 


32  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

or  get'st  into  trouble,  call  on  me  and  just  say,  '  Yal« 
lery  Brown,  come  from  the  mools,  I  want  thee  ! '  and 
I  '11  be  wi'  thee  at  once  ;  and  now,"  says  he,  picking  a 
dandelion  puff,  "good-night  to  thee,"  and  he  blowed 
it  up,  and  it  all  came  into  Tom's  eyne  and  ears.  Soon 
as  Tom  could  see  again  the  tiddy  creature  was  gone, 
and  but  for  the  stone  on  end  and  the  hole  at  his  feet, 
he  'd  have  thought  he  'd  been  dreaming. 

Well,  Tom  went  home  and  to  bed ;  and  by  the 
morning  he  'd  nigh  forgot  all  about  it.  But  when  he 
went  to  the  work,  there  was  none  to  do  !  all  was  done 
already,  the  horses  seen  to,  the  stables  cleaned  out, 
everything  in  its  proper  place,  and  he  'd  nothing  to 
do  but  sit  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets.  And  so  it 
went  on  day  after  day,  all  the  work  done  by  Yallery 
Brown,  and  better  done,  too,  than  he  could  have  done 
it  himself.  And  if  the  master  gave  him  more  work, 
he  sat  down,  and  the  work  did  itself,  the  singeing 
irons,  or  the  broom,  or  what  not,  set  to,  and  with 
ne'er  a  hand  put  to  it  would  get  through  in  no  time. 
For  he  never  saw  Yallery  Brown  in  daylight ;  only  in 
the  darklins  he  saw  him  hopping  about,  like  a  Will-o- 
th'-wyke  without  his  lanthorn. 

At  first  't  was  mighty  fine  for  Tom  ;  he  'd  nought 
to  do  and  good  pay  for  it ;  but  by-and-by  things 
began  to  grow  vicey-varsy.  If  the  work  was  done 
for  Tom,  't  was  undone  for  the  other  lads  ;  if  his  buck- 
ets were  filled,  theirs  were  upset ;  if  his  tools  were 
sharpened,  theirs  were  blunted  and  spoiled  ;  if  his 
horses  were  clean  as  daisies,  theirs  were  splashed 
with  muck,  and  so  on ;  day  in  and  day  out,  't  was  the 


Yallery  Brown  33 

same.  And  the  lads  saw  Yallery  Brown  flitting  about 
o'  nights,  and  they  saw  the  things  working  without 
hands  o'  days,  and  they  saw  that  Tom's  work  was 
done  for  him,  and  theirs  undone  for  them ;  and  nat- 
urally they  begun  to  look  shy  on  him,  and  they 
would  n't  speak  or  come  nigh  him,  and  they  carried 
tales  to  the  master  and  so  things  went  from  bad  to 
worse. 

For  Tom  could  do  nothing  himself ;  the  brooms 
would  n't  stay  in  his  hand,  the  plough  ran  away  from 
him,  the  hoe  kept  out  of  his  grip.  He  thought  that 
he'  d  do  his  own  work  after  all,  so  that  Yallery  Brown 
would  leave  him  and  his  neighbours  alone.  But  he 
could  n't — true  as  death  he  could  n't.  He  could  only 
sit  by  and  look  on,  and  have  the  cold  shoulder  turned 
on  him,  while  the  unnatural  thing  was  meddling  with 
the  others,  and  working  for  him. 

At  last,  things  got  so  bad  that  the  master  gave  Tom 
the  sack,  and  if  he  had  n't,  all  the  rest  of  the  lads 
would  have  sacked  him,  for  they  swore  they  'd  not 
stay  on  the  same  garth  with  Tom.  Well,  naturally 
Tom  felt  bad ;  't  was  a  very  good  place,  and  good 
pay  too  ;  and  he  was  fair  mad  with  Yallery  Brown, 
as  'd  got  him  into  such  a  trouble.  So  Tom  shook  his 
fist  in  the  air  and  called  out  as  loud  as  he  could,  "  Yal- 
lery Brown,  come  from  the  mools  ;  thou  scamp,  I  want 
thee!" 

You  '11  scarce  believe  it,  but  he  'd  hardly  brought 
out  the  words  but  he  felt  something  tweaking  his  leg 
behind,  while  he  jumped  with  the  smart  of  it ;  and 
soon  as  he  looked  down,  there  was  the  tiddy  thing, 


34  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

with  his  shining  hair,  and  wrinkled  face,  and  wicked 
glinting  black  eyne. 

Tom  was  in  a  fine  rage,  and  he  would  have  liked 
to  have  kicked  him,  but  't  was  no  good,  there  was  n't 
enough  of  it  to  get  his  boot  against ;  but  he  said, 
"  Look  here,  master,  I  '11  thank  thee  to  leave  me 
alone  after  this,  dost  hear  ?  I  want  none  of  thy  help, 
and  I  '11  have  nought  more  to  do  with  thee — see 


now." 


The  horrid  thing  broke  into  a  screeching  laugh,  and 
pointed  its  brown  finger  at  Tom.  4<  Ho,  ho,  Tom  !" 
says  he.  "  Thou  'st  thanked  me,  my  lad,  and  I  told 
thee  not,  I  told  thee  not ! " 

41 1  don't  want  thy  help,  I  tell  thee,"  Tom  yelled  at 
him — "  I  only  want  never  to  see  thee  again,  and  to 
have  nought  more  to  do  with  'ee — thou  can  go." 

The  thing  only  laughed  and  screeched  and  mocked, 
as  long  as  Tom  went  on  swearing,  but  so  soon  as  his 
breath  gave  out 

"Tom,  my  lad,"  he  said  with  a  grin,  "  I  '11  tell  'ee 
summat,  Tom.  True  's  true  I  '11  never  help  thee 
again,  and  call  as  thou  wilt,  thou  'It  never  see  me 
after  to-day ;  but  I  never  said  that  I  'd  leave  thee 
alone,  Tom,  and  I  never  will,  my  lad !  I  was  nice 
and  safe  under  the  stone,  Tom,  and  could  do  no 
harm ;  but  thou  let  me  out  thyself,  and  thou  can't 
put  me  back  again  !  I  would  have  been  thy  friend 
and  worked  for  thee  if  thou  had  been  wise  ;  but  since 
thou  bee  'st  no  more  than  a  born  fool  I  '11  give  'ee  no 
more  than  a  born  fool's  luck  ;  and  when  all  goes  vicey- 
varsy,  and  everything  agee — thou  'It  mind  that  it's 


Yallery  Brown  35 

Yallery  Brown's  doing  though  m'appen  thou  does  n't 
see  him.     Mark  my  words,  will  'ee  ?  " 

And  he  began  to  sing,  dancing  round  Tom,  like  a 
bairn  with  his  yellow  hair,  but  looking  older  than  ever 
with  his  grinning  wrinkled  bit  of  a  face : 

"  Work  as  thou  will 

Thou  'It  never  do  well  \ 

Work  as  thou  mayst 

Thou  'It  never  gain  grist ; 
For  harm  and  mischance  and  Yallery  Brown 
Thou  'st  let  out  thyself  from  under  the  stone." 

Tom  could  never  rightly  mind  what  he  said  next. 
Twas  all  cussing  and  calling  down  misfortune  on 
him;  but  he  was  so  mazed  in  fright  that  he  could 
only  stand  there  shaking  all  over,  and  staring  down 
at  the  horrid  thing ;  and  if  he  'd  gone  on  long,  Tom 
would  have  tumbled  down  in  a  fit.  But  by-and-by, 
his  yaller  shining  hair  rose  up  in  the  air,  and  wrapt 
itself  round  him  till  he  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a 
great  dandelion  puff  ;  and  it  floated  away  on  the  wind 
over  the  wall  and  out  o'  sight,  with  a  parting  skirl  of 
wicked  voice  and  sneering  laugh. 

And  did  it  come  true,  sayst  thou  ?  My  word  !  but 
it  did,  sure  as  death  !  He  worked  here  and  he  worked 
there,  and  turned  his  hand  to  this  and  to  that,  but  it 
always  went  agee,  and  't  was  all  Yallery  Brown's 
doing.  And  the  children  died,  and  the  crops  rotted 
— the  beasts  never  fatted,  and  nothing  ever  did  well 
with  him  ;  and  till  he  was  dead  and  buried,  and  m'ap- 
pen even  afterwards,  there  was  no  end  to  Yallery 


36  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

Brown's  spite  at  him ;  day  in  and  day  out  he  used  to 
hear  him  saying — 

"  Work  as  thou  wilt 

Thou  'It  never  do  well; 

Work  as  thou  mayst 

Thou  'It  never  gain  grist ; 
For  harm  and  mischance  and  Yallery  Brown 
Thou  '*t  let  out  thyself  from  under  the  stone." 


Three   Feathers 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  girl  who  was 
married  to  a  husband  that  she  never  saw. 
And  the  way  this  was,  was  that  he  was  only 
at  home  at  night,  and  would  never  have  any  light  in 
the  house.  The  girl  thought  that  was  funny,  and  all 
her  friends  told  her  there  must  be  something  wrong 
with  her  husband,  some  great  deformity  that  made 
him  want  not  to  be  seen. 

Well,  one  night  when  he  came  home  she  suddenly 
lit  a  candle  and  saw  him.  He  was  handsome  enough 
to  make  all  the  women  of  the  world  fall  in  love  with 
him.  But  scarcely  had  she  seen  him  when  he  began 
to  change  into  a  bird,  and  then  he  said :  "  Now  you 
have  seen  me,  you  shall  see  me  no  more,  unless  you 
are  willing  to  serve  seven  years  and  a  day  for  me,  so 
that  I  may  become  a  man  once  more."  Then  he  told 
her  to  take  three  feathers  from  under  his  side,  and 
whatever  she  wished  through  them  would  come  to 
pass.  Then  he  left  her  at  a  great  house  to  be  laundry- 
maid  for  seven  years  and  a  day. 

And  the  girl  used  to  take  the  feathers  and  say : 


38  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  By  virtue  of  my  three  feathers  may  the  copper  be 
lit,  and  the  clothes  washed,  and  mangled,  and  folded, 
and  put  away  to  the  missus's  satisfaction." 

And  then  she  had  no  more  care  about  it.  The 
feathers  did  the  rest,  and  the  lady  set  great  store  by 
her  for  a  better  laundress  she  had  never  had.  Well, 
one  day  the  butler,  who  had  a  notion  to  have  the 
pretty  laundry-maid  for  his  wife,  said  to  her,  he  should 
have  spoken  before  but  he  did  not  want  to  vex  her. 
44  Why  should  it  when  I  am  but  a  fellow-servant?" 
the  girl  said.  And  then  he  felt  free  to  go  on,  and 
explain  he  had~^;o  laid  by  with  the  master,  and  how 
*  would  she  like  him  for  a  husband. 

And  the  girl  told  him  to  fetch  her  the  money,  and 
he  asked  his  master  for  it,  and  brought  it  to  her. 
But  as  they  were  going  up-stairs,  she  cried,  "  O  John, 
I  must  go  back,  sure  I've  left  my  shutters  undone, 
and  they  '11  be  slashing  and  banging  all  night." 

The  butler  said,  "  Never  you  trouble,  I  '11  put  them 
right,"  and  he  ran  back,  while  she  took  her  feathers, 
and  said  :  "  By  virtue  of  my  three  feathers  may  the 
shutters  slash  and  bang  till  morning,  and  John  not 
be  able  to  fasten  them  nor  yet  to  get  his  fingers  free 
from  them." 

And  so  it  was.  Try  as  he  might  the  butler  could 
not  leave  hold,  nor  yet  keep  the  shutters  from  blow- 
ing open  as  he  closed  them.  And  he  was  angry,  but 
could  not  help  himself,  and  he  did  not  care  to  tell  of 
it  and  get  the  laugh  on  him,  so  no  one  knew. 

Then  after  a  bit  the  coachman  began  to  notice  her, 
and  she  found  he  had  some  ^40  with  the  master,  and 


Three  Feathers  39 

he  said  she  might  have  it  if  she   would  take   him 
with  it. 

So  after  the  laundry-maid  had  his  money  in  her 
apron  as  they  went  merrily  along,  she  stopt,  exclaim- 
ing :  "  My  clothes  are  left  outside,  I  must  run  back 
and  bring  them  in."  "  Stop  for  me  while  I  go  ;  it  is 
a  cold  frost  night,"  said  William,  "  you  'd  be  catching 
your  death."  So  the  girl  waited  long  enough  to  take 
her  feathers  out  and  say,  "  By  virtue  of  my  three 
feathers  may  the  clothes  slash  and  blow  about  till 
morning,  and  may  William  not  be  able  to  take  his 


hand  from  them  nor  yet  to  gather  them  up."     And 
then  she  was  away  to  bed  and  to  sleep. 

The  coachman  did  not  want  to  be  every  one's  jest, 
and  he  said  nothing.     So  after  a  bit.  the  footman 


40  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

comes  to  her  and  said  he :  "I  have  been  with  my 
master  for  years  and  have  saved  up  a  good  bit,  and 
you  have  been  three  years  here,  and  must  have  saved 
up  as  well.  Let  us  put  it  together,  and  make  us  a 
home  or  else  stay  on  at  service  as  pleases  you."  Well, 
she  got  him  to  bring  the  savings  to  her  as  the  others 
had,  and  then  she  pretended  she  was  faint,  and  said 
to  him  :  "  James,  I  feel  so  queer,  run  down  cellar  for 
me,  that 's  a  dear,  and  fetch  me  up  a  drop  of  brandy." 
Now  no  sooner  had  he  started  than  she  said  :  "  By 
virtue  of  my  three  feathers  may  there  be  slashing 
and  spilling,  and  James  not  be  able  to  pour  the 
brandy  straight  nor  yet  to  take  his  hand  from  it  until 
morning." 

And  so  it  was.  Try  as  he  might  James  could  not 
get  his  glass  filled,  and  there  was  slashing  and  spilling, 
and  right  on  it  all,  down  came  the  master  to  know 
what  it  meant ! 

So  James  told  him  he  could  not  make  it  out,  but 
he  could  not  get  the  drop  of  brandy  the  laundry-maid 
had  asked  for,  and  his  hand  would  shake  and  spill 
everything,  and  yet  come  away  he  could  not. 

This  got  him  in  for  a  regular  scrape,  and  the 
master  when  he  got  back  to  his  wife  said  :  "  What 
has  come  over  the  men,  they  were  all  right  until  that 
laundry-maid  of  yours  came.  Something  is  up  now 
though.  They  have  all  drawn  out  their  pay,  and  yet 
they  don't  leave,  and  what  can  it  be  anyway  ?  " 

But  his  wife  said  she  could  not  hear  of  the  laundry- 
maid  being  blamed,  for  she  was  the  best  servant  she 
had  and  worth  all  the  rest  put  together. 


Three  Feathers  41 

So  it  went  on  until  one  day  as  the  girl  stood  in  the 
hall  door,  the  coachman  happened  to  say  to  the  foot- 
man :  "  Do  you  know  how  that  girl  served  me, 
James?"  And  then  William  told  about  the  clothes. 
The  butler  put  in,  "  That  was  nothing  to  what  she 
served  me,"  and  he  told  of  the  shutters  clapping  all 
night. 

Just  then  the  master  came  through  the  hall,  and 
the  girl  said  :  "  By  virtue  of  my  three  feathers  may 
there  be  slashing  and  striving  between  master  and 
men,  and  may  all  get  splashed  in  the  pond." 

And  so  it  was,  the  men  fell  to  disputing  which  had 
suffered  the  most  by  her,  and  when  the  master  came 
up  all  would  be  heard  at  once  and  none  listened  to 
him,  and  it  came  to  blows  all  round,  and  the  first 
they  knew  they  had  shoved  one  another  into  the 
pond. 

When  the  girl  thought  they  had  had  enough  she 
took  the  spell  off,  and  the  master  asked  her  what 
had  begun  the  row,  for  he  had  not  heard  in  the 
confusion. 

And  the  girl  said :  "  They  were  ready  to  fall  on 
any  one ;  they  'd  have  beat  me  if  you  had  not 
come  by." 

So  it  blew  over  for  that  time,  and  through  her 
feathers  she  made  the  best  laundress  ever  known. 
But  to  make  a  long  story  short,  when  the  seven  years 
and  a  day  were  up,  the  bird-husband,  who  had  known 
her  doings  all  along,  came  after  her,  restored  to  his 
own  shape  again.  And  he  told  her  mistress  he  had 
come  to  take  her  from  being  a  servant,  and  that  she 


42  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

should  have  servants  under  her.  But  he  did  not  tell 
of  the  feathers. 

And  then  he  bade  her  give  the  men  back  their 
savings. 

"  That  was  a  rare  game  you  had  with  them,"  said 
he.  "  but  now  you  are  going  where  there  is  plenty, 
leave  them  each  their  own."  So  she  did  ;  and  they 
drove  off  to  their  castle,  where  they  lived  happy  ever 
after. 


Sir  Gammer  Vans 

LAST  Sunday  morning  at  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing as   I   was   sailing   over  the   tops  of   the 
mountains  in  my  little  boat,  I  met  two  men  on 
horseback  riding  on  one  mare :    So  I   asked   them, 
"Could  they  tell  me  whether  the  little  old  woman 
was  dead  yet  who  was  hanged  last  Saturday  week  for 
drowning  herself  in  a  shower  of   feathers  ? "     They 
said  they  could  not  positively  inform  me,  but  if  I  went 
to  Sir  Gammer  Vans  he  could  tell  me  all  about  it. 
"  But  how  am  I  to  know  the  house  ?  "  said  I. 
"  Ho,  't  is  easy  enough,"  said  they,  "  for  't  is  a  brick 


44  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

house,  built  entirely  of  flints,  standing  alone  by  itself 
in  the  middle  of  sixty  or  seventy  others  just  like  it." 

"  Oh,  nothing  in  the  world  is  easier,"  said  I. 

"  Nothing  can  be  easier,"  said  they  :  so  I  went  on 
my  way. 

Now  this  Sir  G.  Vans  was  a  giant,  and  a  bottle- 
maker.  And  as  all  giants  who  are  bottle-makers 
usually  pop  out  of  a  little  thumb-bottle  from  behind 
the  door,  so  did  Sir  G.  Vans. 

"How  d'ye  do?"  says  he. 

"  Very  well,  I  thank  you,"  says  I. 

"  Have  some  breakfast  with  me?" 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  says  I. 

So  he  gave  me  a  slice  of  beer,  and  a  cup  of  cold 
veal ;  and  there  was  a  little  dog  under  the  table  that 
picked  up  all  the  crumbs. 

"  Hang  him,"  says  I. 

"  No,  don't  hang  him,"  says  he ;  "  for  he  killed  a 
hare  yesterday.  And  if  you  don't  believe  me,  I'  11 
show  you  the  hare  alive  in  a  basket." 

So  he  took  me  into  his  garden  to  show  me  the 
curiosities.  In  one  corner  there  was  a  fox  hatching 
eagle's  eggs  ;  in  another  there  was  an  iron  apple- 
tree,  entirely  covered  with  pears  and  lead ;  in  the 
third  there  was  the  hare  which  the  dog  killed  yester- 
day alive  in  the  basket ;  and  in  the  fourth  there  were 
twenty-four  kipper  switches  threshing  tobacco,  and  at 
the  sight  of  me  they  threshed  so  hard  that  they  drove 
the  plug  through  the  wall,  and  through  a  little  dog 
that  was  passing  by  on  the  other  side.  I,  hearing  the 
dog  howl,  jumped  over  the  wall ;  and  turned  it  as 


Sir  Gammer  Vans  45 

neatly  inside  out  as  possible,  when  it  ran  away  as  if  it 
had  not  an  hour  to  live.  Then  he  took  me  into  the 
park  to  show  me  his  deer :  and  I  remembered  that  I 
had  a  warrant  in  my  pocket  to  shoot  venison  for  his 
majesty's  dinner.  So  I  set  fire  to  my  bow,  poised 
my  arrow,  and  shot  amongst  them.  I  broke  seven- 
teen ribs  on  one  side,  and  twenty-one  and  a  half  on 
the  other ;  but  my  arrow  passed  clean  through  with- 
out ever  touching  it,  and  the  worst  was  I  lost  my 
arrow :  however,  I  found  it  again  in  the  hollow  of  a 
tree.  I  felt  it ;  it  felt  clammy.  I  smelt  it ;  it  smelt 
honey.  "  Oh,  ho,"  said  I,  "here  's  a  bee's  nest,"  when 
out  sprang  a  covey  of  partridges.  I  shot  at  them ; 
some  say  I  killed  eighteen  ;  but  I  am  sure  I  killed 
thirty-six,  besides  a  dead  salmon  which  was  flying 
over  the  bridge,  of  which  I  made  the  best  apple-pie 
I  ever  tasted. 


Tom    Hickathrift 

BEFORE  the   days  of  William  the  Conqueror 
there  dwelt  a  man  in  the  marsh  of  the  Isle  of 
Ely  whose  name  was  Thomas  Hickathrift,   a 
poor   day  labourer,   but  so  stout  that  he  could  do 
two  days'  work  in  one.     His  one  son  he  called  by  his 
own  name,  Thomas  Hickathrift,  and  he  put  him  to 
good  learning,  but  the  lad  was  none  of  the  wisest, 
and  indeed  seemed  to  be  somewhat  soft,  so  he  got  no 
good  at  all  from  his  teaching. 

Tom's  father  died,  and  his  mother  being  tender  of 

46 


Tom  Hickathrift  47 

him,  kept  him  as  well  as  she  could.  The  slothful 
fellow  would  do  nothing  but  sit  in  the  chimney- 
corner,  and  eat  as  much  at  a  time  as  would  serve  four 
or  five  ordinary  men.  And  so  much  did  he  grow 
that  when  but  ten  years  old  he  was  already  eight 
feet  high,  and  his  hand  like  a  shoulder  of  mutton. 

One  day  his  mother  went  to  a  rich  farmer's 
house  to  beg  a  bottle  of  straw  for  herself  and  Tom. 
"Take  what  you  will,"  said  the  farmer,  an  honest 
charitable  man.  So  when  she  got  home  she  told 
Tom  to  fetch  the  straw,  but  he  would  n't  and,  beg 
as  she  might,  he  would  n't  till  she  borrowed  him  a  cart 
rope.  So  off  he  went,  and  when  he  came  to  the 
farmer's,  master  and  men  were  all  a-trashing  in  the 
barn. 

"  1 7m  come  for  the  straw,"  said  Tom. 

"Take  as  much  as  thou  canst  carry,"  said  the 
farmer. 

So  Tom  laid  down  his  rope  and  began  to  make 
his  bottle. 

"  Your  rope  is  too  short,"  said  the  farmer  by  way 
of  a  joke ;  but  the  joke  was  on  Tom's  side,  for 
when  he  had  made  up  his  load  there  was  some 
twenty  hundred-weight  of  straw,  and  though  they 
called  him  a  fool  for  thinking  he  could  carry  the  tithe 
of  it,  he  flung  it  over  his  shoulder  as  if  it  had  been 
a  hundred-weight,  to  the  great  admiration  of  master 
and  men. 

Tom's  strength  being  thus  made  known  there  was 
no  longer  any  basking  by  the  fire  for  him  ;  every 
one  would  be  hiring  him  to  work,  and  telling  him 


48  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

't  was  a  shame  to  live  such  a  lazy  life.  So  Tom  seeing 
them  wait  on  him  as  they  did,  went  to  work  first  with 
one,  then  with  another.  And  one  day  a  woodman  de- 
sired his  help  to  bring  home  a  tree.  Off  went  Tom 
and  four  men  besides,  and  when  they  came  to  the 
tree  they  began  to  draw  it  into  the  cart  with  pulleys. 
At  last  Tom,  seeing  them  unable  to  lift  it,  "  Stand 
away,  you  fools,"  said  he,  and  taking  the  tree,  set  it 
on  one  end  and  laid  it  in  the  cart.  "  Now,"  said  he, 
"see  what  a  man  can  do."  "  Marry,  't  is  true,"  said 
they,  and  the  woodman  asked  what  reward  he  'd  take. 
"  Oh,  a  stick  for  my  mother's  fire,"  said  Tom  ;  and 
espying  a  tree  bigger  than  was  in  the  cart,  he  laid  it 
on  his  shoulders  and  went  home  with  it  as  fast  as  the 
cart  and  six  horses  could  draw  it. 

Tom  now  saw  that  he  had  more  strength  than 
twenty  men,  and  began  to  be  very  merry,  taking  de- 
light in  company,  in  going  to  fairs  and  meetings,  in 
seeing  sports  and  pastimes.  And  at  cudgels,  wrest- 
ling, or  throwing  the  hammer,  not  a  man  could  stand 
against  him,  so  that  at  last  none  durst  go  into  the 
ring  to  wrestle  with  him,  and  his  fame  was  spread 
more  and  more  in  the  country. 

Far  and  near  he  would  go  to  any  meetings,  as 
football  play  or  the  like.  And  one  day  in  a  part  of 
the  country  where  he  was  a  stranger,  and  none  knew 
him,  he  stopped  to  watch  the  company  at  football 
play ;  rare  sport  it  was ;  but  Tom  spoiled  it  all,  for 
meeting  the  ball  he  took  it  such  a  kick  that  away 
it  flew  none  could  tell  whither.  They  were  angry 
with  Tom  as  you  may  fancy,  but  got  nothing  by 


Tom  Hickathrift  49 

that  as  Tom  took  hold  of  a  big  spar,  and  laid 
about  with  a  will,  so  that  though  the  whole  country- 
side was  up  in  arms  against  him,  he  cleared  his  way 
wherever  he  came. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  ere  he  could  turn  horr^ 
ward,  and  on  the  road  there  met  him  four  lusty  rogues 
that  had  been  robbing  passengers  all  day.  They 
thought  they  had  a  good  prize  in  Tom,  who  was 
all  alone,  and  made  cocksure  of  his  money. 

"  Stand  and  deliver  !  "  said  they. 

44  What  should  I  deliver?"  said  Tom. 

"  Your  money,  sirrah,"  said  they. 

"  You  shall  give  me  better  words  for  it  first,"  said 
Tom. 

"Come,  come,  no  more  prating;  money  we  want, 
and  money  we  '11  have  before  you  stir." 

"  Is  it  so?"  said  Tom,  "nay,  then  come  and  take 


it." 


The  long  and  the  short  of  it  was  that  Tom  killed 
two  of  the  rogues  and  grieviously  wounded  the  other 
two,  and  took  all  their  money,  which  was  as  much 
as  two  hundred  pounds.  And  when  he  came  home 
he  made  his  old  mother  laugh  with  the  story  of 
how  he  served  the  football  players  and  the  four 
thieves. 

But  you  shall  see  that  Tom  sometimes  met  his 
match.  In  wandering  one  day  in  the  forest  he  met  a 
lusty  tinker  that  had  a  good  staff  on  his  shoulder, 
and  a  great  dog  to  carry  his  bag  and  tools. 

"  Whence  come  you  and  whither  are  you  going?" 
said  Tom;  "  this  is  no  highway." 


50  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"What's  that  to  you?"  said  the  tinker;  "fools 
must  needs  be  meddling." 

"  I  '11  make  you  know,"  said  Tom,  "before  you  and 
I  part,  what  it  is  to  me." 

"Well,"  said  the  tinker,  "I'm  ready  for  a  bout 
with  any  man,  and  I  hear  there  is  one  Tom  Hicka- 
thrift  in  the  country  of  whom  great  things  are  told. 
I  'd  fain  see  him  to  have  a  turn  with  him." 

"Ay,"  said  Tom,  "  methinks  he  might  be  master 
with  you.  Anyhow,  I  am  the  man  ;  what  have  you  to 
say  to  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  verily,  I  'm  glad  we  are  so  happily  met." 

"  Sure,  you  do  but  jest,"  said  Tom. 

"  Marry,  I  'm  in  earnest,"  said  the  tinker.  "  A 
match  ?"  "  'T  is  done."  "  Let  me  first  get  a  twig," 
said  Tom.  "Ay,"  said  the  tinker,  "hang  him  that 
would  fight  a  man  unarmed." 

So  Tom  took  a  gate-rail  for  his  staff,  and  at  it  they 
fell,  the  tinker  at  Tom,  and  Tom  at  the  tinker,  like 
two  giants  they  laid  on  at  each  other.  The  tinker 
had  a  leathern  coat  on,  and  at  every  blow  Tom  gave 
the  tinker  his  coat  roared  again,  yet  the  tinker  did 
not  give  way  one  inch.  At  last  Tom  gave  him  a 
blow  on  the  side  of  his  head  which  felled  him. 

"  Now  tinker  where  are  you  ?  "  said  Tom. 

But  the  tinker  being  a  nimble  fellow,  leapt  up  again, 
gave  Tom  a  blow  that  made  him  reel  again,  and  fol- 
lowed his  blow  with  one  on  the  other  side  that  made 
Tom's  neck  crack  again.  So  Tom  flung  down  his 
weapon  and  yielded  the  tinker  the  better  on  it,  took 
him  home  to  his  house,  where  they  nursed  their  bruises, 


Tom  Hickathrift  51 

and  from  that  day  forth  there  was  no  stauncher  pair 
of  friends  than  they  two. 

Tom's  fame  was  thus  spread  abroad  till  at  length  a 
brewer  at  Lynn,  wanting  a  good  lusty  man  to  carry 
his  beer  to  Wisbeach  went  to  hire  Tom,  and  promised 
him  a  new  suit  of  clothes  from  top  to  toe,  and  that  he 
should  eat  and  drink  of  the  best,  so  Tom  yielded  to 
be  his  man  and  his  master  told  him  what  way  he 
should  go,  for  you  must  understand  there  was  a  mon- 
strous giant  who  kept  part  of  the  marsh-land,  so  that 
none  durst  go  that  way. 

So  Tom  went  every  day  to  Wisbeach  a  good  twenty 
miles  by  the  road.  'T  was  a  wearisome  journey 
thought  Tom  and  he  soon  found  that  the  way  kept 
by  the  giant  was  nearer  by  half.  Now  Tom  had  got 
more  strength  than  ever,  being  well  kept  as  he  was 
and  drinking  so  much  strong  ale  as  he  did.  One  day, 
then,  as  he  was  going  to  Wisbeach,  without  saying 
anything  to  his  master  or  any  of  his  fellow  servants, 
he  resolved  to  take  the  nearest  road  or  to  lose  his  life  ; 
as  they  say,  to  win  horse  or  lose  saddle.  Thus  re- 
solved, he  took  the  near  road,  flinging  open  the  gates 
for  his  cart  and  horses  to  go  through.  At  last  the 
giant  spied  him,  and  came  up  speedily,  intending  to 
take  his  beer  for  a  prize. 

He  met  Tom  like  a  lion  as  though  he  would  have 
swallowed  him.  "  Who  gave  you  authority  to  come 
this  way  ?  "  roared  he.  "  I  '11  make  you  an  example  for 
all  rogues  under  the  sun.  See  how  many  heads  hang 
on  yonder  tree.  Yours  shall  hang  higher  than  all  the 
rest  (or  a  warning." 


52  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

But  Tom  made  him  answer,  "  A  fig  in  your  teeth 
you  shall  not  find  me  like  one  of  them,  traitorly  rogue 
that  you  are." 

The  giant  took  these  words  in  high  disdain,  and 
ran  into  his  cave  to  fetch  his  great  club,  intending  to 
dash  out  Tom's  brains  at  the  first  blow. 

Tom  knew  not  what  to  do  for  a  weapon  ;  his  whip 
would  be  but  little  good  against  a  monstrous  beast 
twelve  foot  in  length  and  six  foot  about  tne  waist. 
But  whilst  the  giant  went  for  his  club,  bethinking  him 
of  a  very  good  weapon,  he  made  no  more  ado,  but 
took  his  cart,  turned  it  upside  down,  and  took  axle- 
tree  and  wheel  for  shield  and  buckler.  And  very 
good  weapons  they  were  found  ! 

Out  came  the  giant  and  began  to  stare  at  Tom. 
"  You  are  like  to  do  great  service  with  those  weapons," 
roared  he.  "  I  have  here  a  twig  that  will  beat  you 
and  your  wheel  to  the  ground."  Now  this  twig  was 
as  thick  as  some  mileposts  are,  but  Tom  was  not 
daunted  for  all  that,  though  the  giant  made  at  him 
with  such  force  that  the  wheel  cracked  again.  But 
Tom  gave  as  good  as  he  got,  taking  the  giant  such  a 
weighty  blow  on  the  side  of  the  head  that  he  reeled 
again.  "  What,"  said  Tom,  "  are  you  drunk  with  my 
strong  beer  already  ?" 

So  at  it  they  went,  Tom  laying  such  huge  blows  at 
the  giant,  down  whose  face  sweat  and  blood  ran  to- 
gether, so  that,  being  fat  and  foggy  and  tired  with 
the  long  fighting,  he  asked  Tom  would  he  let  him 
drink  a  little?  "  Nay,  nay,"  said  Tom,  "my  mother 
did  not  teach  me  such  wit ;  who  'd  be  a  fool  then  ?" 


Tom  Hickathrift  53 

And  seeing  the  giant  beginning  to  weary  and  fail  in 
his  blows,  Tom  thought  best  to  make  hay  whilst  the 
sun  shone,  and,  laying  on  as  fast  as  though  he  had 
been  mad,  he  brought  the  giant  to  the  ground.  In 
vain  were  the  giant's  roars  and  prayers  and  promises 
to  yield  himself  and  be  Tom's  servant.  Tom  laid  at 
him  till  he  was  dead,  and  then,  cutting  off  his  head, 
he  went  into  the  cave,  and  found  a  great  store  of  sil- 
ver and  gold,  which  made  his  heart  to  leap.  So  he 
loaded  his  cart,  and  after  delivering  his  beer  at  Wis- 
beach,  he  came  home  and  told  his  master  what  had 
befallen  him.  And  on  the  morrow  he  and  his  master 
and  more  of  the  towns-folk  of  Lynn  set  out  for  the 
giant's  cave.  Tom  showed  them  the  head,  and  what 
silver  and  gold  there  was  in  the  cave,  and  not  a  man 
but  leapt  for  joy,  for  the  giant  was  a  great  enemy  to 
all  the  country. 

The  news  was  spread  all  up  and  down  the  country- 
side how  Tom  Hickathrift  had  killed  the  giant.  And 
well  was  he  that  could  run  to  see  the  cave ;  all  the 
folk  made  bonfires  for  joy,  and  if  Tom  was  respected 
before,  he  was  much  more  so  now.  With  common 
consent  he  took  possession  of  the  cave  and  every  one 
said,  had  it  been  twice  as  much,  he  would  have  de- 
served it.  So  Tom  pulled  down  the  cave,  and  built 
himself  a  brave  house.  The  ground  that  the  giant 
kept  by  force  for  himself,  Tom  gave  part  to  the  poor 
for  their  common  land,  and  part  he  turned  into  good 
wheat-land  to  keep  himself  and  his  old  mother,  Jane 
Hickathrift.  And  now  he  was  become  the  chiefest 
man  in  the  country-side  ;  't  was  no  longer  plain  Tomt 


54  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

but  Mr.  Hickathrift,  and  he  was  held  in  due  respect 
I  promise  you.  He  kept  men  and  maids  and  lived 
most  bravely;  made  him  a  park  to  keep  deer,  and 
time  passed  with  him  happily  in  his  great  house 
till  the  end  of  his  days. 


The  Hedley  Kow 

THERE  was  once  an  old  woman,  who  earned  a 
poor  living  by  going  errands  and  such  like, 
for  the  farmers'  wives  round  about  the  village 
where  she  lived.     It  was  n't  much  she  earned  by  it ; 
but  with  a  plate  of  meat  at  one  house,  and  a  cup  of 
tea  at  another,  she  made  shift  to  get  on  somehow, 
and  always  looked  as  cheerful  as  if  she  had  n't  a  want 
in  the  world. 

Well,  one  summer  evening  as  she  was  trotting  away 
homewards,  she  came  upon  a  big  black  pot  lying  at 
the  side  of  the  road. 

"  Now  that"  said  she,  stopping  to  look  at  it,  "  would 


56  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

be  just  the  very  thing  for  me  if  I  had  anything  to  put 
into  it !  But  who  can  have  left  it  here  ? "  and  she 
looked  round  about,  as  if  the  person  it  belonged  to 
must  be  not  far  off.  But  she  could  see  no  one. 

"  Maybe  it  '11  have  a  hole  in  it,"  she  said  thought- 
fully :— 

"  Ay,  that  '11  be  how  they  've  left  it  lying,  hinny. 
But  then  it  'd  do  fine  to  put  a  flower  in  for  the  win- 
dow ;  I  'm  thinking  I  '11  just  take  it  home,  anyways." 
And  she  bent  her  stiff  old  back,  and  lifted  the  lid  to 
look  inside. 

"  Mercy  me!"  she  cried,  and  jumped  back  to  the 
other  side  of  the  roa'd  ;  if  it  is  rit  brim  full  d  gold 
PIECES  ! ! " 

For  a  while  she  could  do  nothing  but  walk  round 
and  round  her  treasure,  admiring  the  yellow  gold  and 
wondering  at  her  good  luck,  and  saying  to  herself 
about  every  two  minutes,  "  Well,  I  do  be  feeling  rich 
and  grand  !  "  But  presently  she  began  to  think  how 
she  could  best  take  it  home  with  her ;  and  she  could  n't 
see  any  other  way  than  by  fastening  one  end  of  her 
shawl  to  it,  and  so  dragging  it  after  her  along  the 
road. 

"It  '11  certainly  be  soon  dark,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  and  folk  '11  not  see  what  I  'm  bringing  home  with 
me,  and  so  I  '11  have  all  the  night  to  myself  to  think 
what  I  '11  do  with  it.  I  could  buy  a  grand  house  and 
all,  and  live  like  the  Queen  herself,  and  not  do  a 
stroke  of  work  all  day,  but  just  sit  by  the  fire  with  a 
cup  of  tea ;  or  maybe  I  '11  give  it  to  the  priest  to  keep 
for  me,  and  get  a  piece  as  I  'm  wanting ;  or  maybe 


The  Hedley  Kow  57 

I  '11  just  bury  it  in  a  hole  at  the  garden-foot,  and  put 
a  bit  on  the  chimney,  between  the  chiney  teapot  and 
the  spoons — for  ornament  like.  Ah  !  I  feel  so  grand, 
!  don't  know  myself  rightly  ! " 

And  by  this  time,  being  already  rather  tired  with 
dragging  such  a  heavy  weight  after  her,  she  stopped 
to  rest  for  a  minute,  turning  to  make  sure  that  her 
treasure  was  safe. 

But  when  she  looked  at  it,  it  was  n't  a  pot  of  gold 
at  all,  but  a  great  lump  of  shining  silver ! 

She  stared  at  it,  and  rubbed  her  eyes  and  stared  at 
it  again  ;  but  she  could  n't  make  it  look  like  anything 
but  a  great  lump  of  silver.  "  I  'd  have  sworn  it  was 
a  pot  of  gold,"  she  said  at  last,  "  but  I  reckon  I  must 
have  been  dreaming.  Ay,  now,  that 's  a  change  for 
the  better ;  it  '11  be  far  less  trouble  to  look  after,  and 
none  so  easy  stolen  ;  yon  gold  pieces  would  have  been 
a  sight  of  bother  to  keep  'em  safe.  Ay,  I  'm  well  quit 
of  them  ;  and  with  my  bonny  lump  I  'm  as  rich  as 
rich ! " 

And  she  set  off  homewards  again,  cheerfully  plan- 
ning all  the  grand  things  she  was  going  to  do  with 
her  money.  It  was  n't  very  long,  however,  before  she 
got  tired  again  and  stopped  once  more  to  rest  for  a 
minute  or  two. 

Again  she  turned  to  look  at  her  treasure,  and  as 
soon  as  she  set  eyes  on  it  she  cried  out  in  astonish- 
ment. "  Oh,  my  ! "  said  she  ;  "  now  it 's  a  lump  o' 
iron  !  Well,  that  beats  all ;  and  it 's  just  real  conven- 
ient !  I  can  sell  it  as  easy  as  easy,  and  get  a  lot  o' 
penny  pieces  for  it.  Ay,  hinny,  an'  it 's  much  handier 


58  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

than  a  lot  o'  yer  gold  and  silver  as  'd  have  kept  me 
from  sleeping  o'  nights  thinking  the  neighbours  were 
robbing  me — an'  it 's  a  real  good  thing  to  have  by 
you  in  a  house,  ye  niver  can  tell  what  ye  might  n't 
use  it  for,  an'  it  '11  sell — ay,  for  a  real  lot.  Rich  ?  I  '11 
be  just  rolling /  " 

And  on  she  trotted  again  chuckling  to  herself  on 
her  good  luck,  till  presently  she  glanced  over  her 
shoulder,  "just  to  make  sure  it  was  there  still,"  as 
she  said  to  herself. 

"  Eh,  my ! "  she  cried  as  soon  as  she  saw  it ;  if  it 
has  n't  gone  and  turned  itself  into  a  great  stone  this 
time  !  Now,  how  could  it  have  known  that  I  was  just 
terrible  wanting  something  to  hold  my  door  open  with  ? 
Ay,  if  that  isn't  a  good  change  !  Hinny,  it 's  a  fine 
thing  to  have  such  good  luck." 

And,  all  in  a  hurry  to  see  how  the  stone  would  look 
in  its  corner  by  her  door,  she  trotted  off  down  the 
hill,  and  stopped  at  the  foot,  beside  her  own  little 
gate. 

When  she  had  unlatched  it,  she  turned  to  unfasten 
her  shawl  from  the  stone,  which  this  time  seemed  to 
lie  unchanged  and  peaceably  on  the  path  beside  her. 
There  was  still  plenty  of  light,  and  she  could  see  the 
stone  quite  plainly  as  she  bent  her  stiff  back  over  it, 
to  untie  the  shawl  end ;  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  it 
seemed  to  give  a  jump  and  a  squeal,  and  grew  in  a 
moment  as  big  as  a  great  horse ;  then  it  threw  down 
four  lanky  legs,  and  shook  out  two  long  ears,  flour- 
ished a  tail,  and  went  off  kicking  its  feet  into  the  air 
and  laughing  like  a  naughty  mocking  boy. 


The  Hedley  Kow  59 

The  old  woman  stared  after  it,  till  it  was  fairly  out 
of  sight. 

"  WELL  ! "  she  said  at  last,  "I  do  be  the  luckiest 
body  hereabouts !  Fancy  me  seeing  the  Hedley 
Kow  all  to  myself,  and  making  so  free  with  it  too ! 
I  can  tell  you,  I  do  feel  that  GRAND— — " 

And  she  went  into  her  cottage,  and  sat  down  by 
the  fire  to  think  over  her  good  luck. 


Gobborn   Seer 

ONCE  there  was  a  man  Gobborn  Seer,  and  he 
had  a  son  called  Jack. 

One  day  he  sent  him  out  to  sell  a  sheep- 
skin, and  Gobborn  said,  "  You  must  bring  me  back 
the  skin  and  the  value  of  it  as  well." 

So  Jack  started,  but  he  could  not  find  any  who 
would  leave  him  the  skin  and  give  him  its  price  too. 
So  he  came  home  discouraged. 

But  Gobborn  Seer  said,  "  Never  mind,  you  must 
take  another  turn  at  it  to-morrow." 

So  he  tried  again,  and  nobody  wished  to  buy  the 
skin  on  those  terms. 

When  he  came  home  his  father  said,  "  You  must 
go  and  try  your  luck  to-morrow,"  and  the  third  day 
it  seemed  as  if  it  would  be  the  same  thing  over  ,again. 
And  he  had  half  a  mind  not  to  go  back  at  all,  his 
father  would  be  so  vexed.  As  he  came  to  a  bridge, 
like  the  Creek  Road  one  yonder,  he  leaned  on  the 
parapet  thinking  of  his  trouble,  and  that  perhaps  it 
would  be  foolish  to  run  away  from  home,  but  he  could 
not  tell  which  to  do  ;  when  he  saw  a  girl  washing  her 
clothes  on  the  bank  below.  She  looked  up  and  said : 

to 


Gobborn  Seer  61 

"If  it  may  be  no  offence  asking,  what  is  it  you  feel 
so  badly  about  ?  " 

"  My  father  has  given  me  this  skin,  and  I  am  to 
fetch  it  back  and  the  price  of  it  beside." 

"  Is  that  all  ?     Give  it  here,  and  it 's  easy  done." 

So  the  girl  washed  the  skin  in  the  stream,  took  the 
wool  from  it,  and  paid  him  the  value  of  it,  and  gave 
him  the  skin  to  carry  back. 

His  father  was  well  pleased,  and  said  to  Jack, 
"  That  was  a  witty  woman  ;  she  would  make  you  a 
good  wife.  Do  you  think  you  could  tell  her  again  ?" 

Jack  thought  he  could,  so  his  father  told  him  to  go 
by-and-by  to  the  bridge,  and  see  if  she  was  there,  and 
if  so  bid  her  come  home  to  take  tea  with  them. 

And  sure  enough  Jack  spied  her  and  told  her  how 
his  old  father  had  a  wish  to  meet  her,  and  would  she 
be  pleased  to  drink  tea  with  them. 

The  girl  thanked  him  kindly,  and  said  she  could 
come  the  next  day  ;  she  was  too  busy  at  the  moment. 

"  All  the  better,"  said  Jack,  "  I  '11  have  time  to  make 
ready." 

So  when  she  came  Gobborn  Seer  could  see  she  was 
a  witty  woman,  and  he  asked  her  if  she  would  marry 
his  Jack.  She  said  "  Yes,"  and  they  were  married. 

Not  long  after,  Jack's  father  told  him  he  must  come 
with  him  and  build  the  finest  castle  that  ever  was 
seen,  for  a  king  who  wished  to  outdo  all  others  by  his 
wonderful  castle. 

And  as  they  went  to  -  lay  the  foundation-stone, 
Gobborn  Seer  said  to  Jack,  "  Can't  you  shorten  the 
way  for  me  ?  " 


62  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

But  Jack  looked  ahead  and  there  was  a  long  road 
before  them,  and  he  said,  "  I  don't  see,  father,  how  I 
could  break  a  bit  off." 

"  You  're  no  good  to  me,  then,  and  had  best  be  off 
home." 

So  poor  Jack  turned  back,  and  when  he  came  in 
his  wife  said,  "  Why,  how  's  this  you  Ve  come  alone  ?" 
and  he  told  her  what  his  father  had  said  and  his 
answer. 

"  You  stupid,"  said  his  witty  wife,  "  if  you  had  told 
a  tale  you  would  have  shortened  the  road !  Now 
listen  till  I  tell  you  a  story,  and  then  catch  up  with 
Gobborn  Seer  and  begin  it  at  once.  He  will  like 
hearing  it,  and  by  the  time  you  are  done  you  will 
have  reached  the  foundation-stone." 

So  Jack  sweated  and  overtook  his  father.  Gobborn 
Seer  said  never  a  word,  but  Jack  began  his  story,  and 
the  road  was  shortened  as  his  wife  had  said. 

When  they  came  to  the  end  of  their  journey,  they 
started  building  of  this  castle  which  was  to  outshine 
all  others.  Now  the  wife  had  advised  them  to  be 
intimate  with  the  servants,  and  so  they  did  as  she 
said,  and  it  was  "  Good-morning  "  and  "  Good-day  to 
you  "  as  they  passed  in  and  out. 

Now,  at  the  end  of  a  twelvemonth,  Gobborn,  the 
wise  man,  had  built  such  a  castle  thousands  were 
gathered  to  admire  it. 

And  the  king  said  :  "  The  castle  is  done.  I  shall 
return  to-morrow  and  pay  you  all." 

"  I  have  just  a  ceiling  to  finish  in  an  upper  lobby," 
said  Gobborn,  "  and  then  it  wants  nothing." 


Gobborn  Seer  63 

But  after  the  king  was  gone  off,  the  housekeeper 
sent  for  Gobborn  and  Jack,  and  told  them  that  she 
had  watched  for  a  chance  to  warn  them,  for  the  king 
was  so  afraid  they  should  carry  their  art  away  and 
build  some  other  king  as  fine  a  castle,  he  meant  -to 
take  their  lives  on  the  morrow.  Gobborn  told  Jack 
to  keep  a  good  heart,  and  they  would  come  off  all 
right. 

When  the  king  had  come  back  Gobborn  told  him 
he  had  been  unable  to  complete  the  job  for  lack  of  a 
tool  left  at  home,  and  he  should  like  to  send  Jack 
after  it. 

"No,  no,"  said  the  king,  "cannot  one  of  the  men 
do  the  errand  ?  " 

"  No,  they  could  not  make  themselves  understood/' 
said  the  Seer,  "  but  Jack  could  do  the  errand." 

"  You  and  your  son  are  to  stop  here.  But  how 
will  it  do  if  I  send  my  own  son  ?  " 

"That  will  do." 

So  Gobborn  sent  by  him  a  message  to  Jack's  wife. 
"  Give  him  Crooked  and  Straight !  " 

Now  there  was  a  little  hole  in  the  wall  rather  high 
up,  and  Jack's  wife  tried  to  reach  up  into  a  chest 
there  after  "  crooked  and  straight,"  but  at  last  she 
asked  the  king's  son  to  help  her,  because  his  arms 
were  longest. 

But  when  he  was  leaning  over  the  chest  she  caught 
him  by  the  two  heels,  and  threw  him  into  the  chest, 
and  fastened  it  down.  So  there  he  was,  both  "  crooked 
and  straight ! " 

Then  he  begged  for  pen  and  ink,  which  she  brought 


64 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


him,  but  he  was  not  allowed  out,  and  holes  were 
bored  that  he  might  breathe. 

When  his  letter  came,  telling  the  king,  his  father, 
he  was  to  be  let  free  when  Gobborn  and  Jack  were 
safe  home,  the  king  saw  he  must  settle  for  the  build- 
ing, and  let  them  come  away. 

As  they  left  Gobborn  told  him  :  Now  that  Jack 
was  done  with  this  work,  he  should  soon  build  a  castle 
for  his  witty  wife  far  superior  to  the  king's,  which  he 
did,  and  they  lived  there  happily  ever  after. 


T 


Lawkamercyme 

HERE  was  an  old  woman,  as  I  Ve  heard  tell, 
She  went  to  the  market  her  eggs  for  to  sell ; 
She  went  to  the  market,  all  on  a  market-day, 
And  she  fell  asleep  on  the  king's  highway. 


There  came  by  a  pedlar,  whose  name  was  Stout, 

He  cut  her  petticoats  round  about ; 

He  cut  her  petticoats  up  to  the  knees, 

Which  made  the  old  woman  to  shiver  and  freeze. 


When  this  old  woman  first  did  wake, 
She  began  to  shiver,  and  she  began  to  shake ; 
She  began  to  wonder,  and  she  began  to  cry — 
"  Lawkamercyme,  this  is  none  of  I  !" 

"  But  if  it  be  I,  as  I  do  hope  it  be, 

I  Ve  a  little  dog  at  home,  and  he  '11  know  me ; 

If  it  be  I,  he  '11  wag  his  little  tail, 

And  if  it  be  not  I,  he  '11  loudly  bark  and  waiL" 


66  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

Home  went  the  little  woman,  all  in  the  dark; 
Up  got  the  little  dog,  and  he  began  to  bark ; 
He  began  to  bark,  so  she  began  to  cry — 
"  Lawkamercyme,  this  is  none  of  I  !" 


Tattercoats 

IN  a  great  Palace  by  the  sea  there  once  dwelt  a  very 
rich  old  lord,  who  had  neither  wife  nor  children 
living,  only  one  little  granddaughter,  whose  face 
he  had  never  seen    in   all  her  life.     He  hated  her 
bitterly,  because  at  her  birth  his  favourite  daughter 
died ;    and   when    the    old    nurse   brought   him   the 
baby,  he  swore,  that  it  might  live  or  die  as  it  liked, 
but   he   would  never  look  on  its  face  as  long  as  it 
lived. 

So  he  turned  his  back,  and  sat  by  his  window  look- 
ing out  over  the  sea,  and  weeping  great  tears  for  his 
lost  daughter,  till  his  white  hair  and  beard  grew  down 
over  his  shoulders  and  twined  round  his  chair  and 
crept  into  the  chinks  of  the  floor,  and  his  tears,  drop- 
ping on  to  the  window-ledge,  wore  a  channel  through 
the  stone,  and  ran  away  in  a  little  river  to  the  great 
sea.  And,  meanwhile,  his  granddaughter  grew  up 
with  no  one  to  care  for  her,  or  clothe  her ;  only  the 
old  nurse,  when  no  one  was  by,  would  sometimes 
give  her  a  dish  of  scraps  from  the  kitchen,  or  a  torn 
petticoat  from  the  rag-bag ;  while  the  other  servants 
of  the  Palace  would  drive  her  from  the  house  with 

67 


68  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

blows  and  mocking  words,  calling  her  "  Tattercoats," 
and  pointing  at  her  bare  feet  and  shoulders,  till  she 
ran  away  crying,  to  hide  among  the  bushes. 

And  so  she  grew  up,  with  little  to  eat  or  wear, 
spending  her  days  in  the  fields  and  lanes,  with  only 
the  gooseherd  for  a  companion,  who  would  play  to 
her  so  merrily  on  his  little  pipe,  when  she  was 
hungry,  or  cold,  or  tired,  that  she  forgot  all  her 
troubles,  and  fell  to  dancing,  with  his  flock  of  noisy 
geese  for  partners. 

But,  one  day,  people  told  each  other  that  the  King 
was  travelling  through  the  land,  and  in  the  town  near 
by  was  to  give  a  great  ball,  to  all  the  lords  and  ladies 
of  the  country,  when  the  Prince,  his  only  son,  was  to 
choose  a  wife. 

One  of  the  royal  invitations  was  brought  to  the 
Palace  by  the  sea,  and  the  servants  carried  it  up  to 
the  old  lord  who  still  sat  by  his  window,  wrapped  in 
his  long  white  hair  and  weeping  into  the  little  river 
that  was  fed  by  his  tears. 

But  when  he  heard  the  King's  command,  he  dried 
his  eyes  and  bade  them  bring  shears  to  cut  him  loose, 
for  his  hair  had  bound  him  a  fast  prisoner  and  he 
could  not  move.  And  then  he  sent  them  for  rich 
clothes,  and  jewels,  which  he  put  on  ;  and  he  ordered 
them  to  saddle  the  white  horse,  with  gold  and  silk, 
that  he  might  ride  to  meet  the  King. 

Meanwhile  Tattercoats  had  heard  of  the  great 
doings  in  the  town,  and  she  sat  by  the  kitchen-door 
weeping  because  she  could  not  go  to  see  them.  And 
when  the  old  nurse  heard  her  crying  she  went  to  the 


Tattercoats  69 

Lord  of  the  Palace,  and  begged  him  to  take  his 
granddaughter  with  him  to  the  King's  ball. 

But  he  only  frowned  and  told  her  to  be  silent,  while 
the  servants  laughed  and  said  :  "  Tattercoats  is  happy 
in  her  rags,  playing  with  the  gooseherd,  let  her  be — 
it  is  all  she  is  fit  for." 

A  second,  and  then  a  third  time,  the  old  nurse 
begged  him  to  let  the  girl  go  with  him,  but  she  was 
answered  only  by  black  looks  and  fierce  words,  till 
she  was  driven  from  the  room  by  the  jeering  servants, 
with  blows  and  mocking  words. 

Weeping  over  her  ill-success,  the  old  nurse  went  to 
look  for  Tattercoats  ;  but  the  girl  had  been  turned 
from  the  door  by  the  cook,  and  had  run  away  to  tell 
her  friend  the  gooseherd,  how  unhappy  she  was 
because  she  could  not  go  to  the  King's  ball. 

But  when  the  gooseherd  had  listened  to  her  story, 
he  bade  her  cheer  up,  and  proposed  that  they  should 
go  together  into  the  town  to  see  the  King,  and  all 
the  fine  things ;  and  when  she  looked  sorrowfully 
down  at  her  rags  and  bare  feet,  he  played  a  note  or 
two  upon  his  pipe,  so  gay  and  merry,  that  she  forgot 
all  about  her  tears  and  her  troubles,  and  before  she 
well  knew,  the  herdboy  had  taken  her  by  the  hand, 
and  she,  and  he,  and  the  geese  before  them,  were 
dancing  down  the  road  towards  the  town. 

Before  they  had  gone  very  far,  a  handsome  young 
man,  splendidly  dressed,  rode  up  and  stopped  to  ask 
the  way  to  the  castle  where  the  King  was  staying  ;  and 
when  he  found  that  they  too  were  going  thither,  he  got 
off  his  horse  and  walked  beside  them  along  the  road. 


70  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

The  herdboy  pulled  out  his  pipe  and  played  a  low 
sweet  tune,  and  the  stranger  looked  again  and  again 
at  Tattercoats'  lovely  face  till  he  fell  deeply  in  love 
with  her,  and  begged  her  to  marry  him. 

But  she  only  laughed,  and  shook  her  golden  head. 

11  You  would  be  finely  put  to  shame  if  you  had  a 
goosegirl  for  your  wife  ! "  said  she  ;  "  go  and  ask  one 
of  the  great  ladies  you  will  see  to-night  at  the  King's 
ball,  and  do  not  flout  poor  Tattercoats." 

But  the  more  she  refused  him  the  sweeter  the  pipe 
played,  and  the  deeper  the  young  man  fell  in  love ; 
till  at  last  he  begged  her,  as  a  proof  of  his  sincerity, 
to  come  that  night  at  twelve  to  the  King's  ball,  just 
as  she  was,  with  the  herdboy  and  his  geese,  and  in 
her  torn  petticoat  and  bare  feet,  and  he  would  dance 
with  her  before  the  King  and  the  lords  and  ladies, 
and  present  her  to  them  all,  as  his  dear  and  honoured 
bride. 

So  when  night  came,  and  the  hall  in  the  castle  was 
full  of  light  and  music,  and  the  lords  and  ladies  were 
dancing  before  the  King,  just  as  the  clock  struck 
twelve,  Tattercoats  and  the  herdboy,  followed  by  his 
flock  of  noisy  geese,  entered  at  the  great  doors,  and 
walked  straight  up  the  ball-room,  while  on  either  side 
the  ladies  whispered,  the  lords  laughed,  and  the  King 
seated  at  the  far  end  stared  in  amazement. 

But  as  they  came  in  front  of  the  throne,  Tatter- 
coats'  lover  rose  from  beside  the  King,  and  came  to 
meet  her.  Taking  her  by  the  hand,  he  kissed  her 
thrice  before  them  all,  and  turned  to  the  King. 

"  Father ! "  he  said,  for  it  was  the  Prince  himself, 


TA  TTERCOA  TS. 


72  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  I  have  made  my  choice,  and  here  is  my  bride,  the 
loveliest  girl  in  all  the  land,  and  the  sweetest  as 
well!" 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking,  the  herdboy  put 
his  pipe  to  his  lips  and  played  a  few  low  notes  that 
sounded  like  a  bird  singing  far  off  in  the  woods ;  and 
as  he  played,  Tattercoats'  rags  were  changed  to 
shining  robes  sewn  with  glittering  jewels,  a  golden 
crown  lay  upon  her  golden  hair,  and  the  flock  of 
geese  behind  her,  became  a  crowd  of  dainty  pages, 
bearing  her  long  train. 

And  as  the  King  rose  to  greet  her  as  his  daughter, 
the  trumpets  sounded  loudly  in  honour  of  the  new 
Princess,  and  the  people  outside  in  the  street  said  to 
each  other : 

"  Ah  !  now  the  Prince  has  chosen  for  his  wife  the 
loveliest  girl  in  all  the  land  ! " 

But  the  gooseherd  was  never  seen  again,  and  no 
one  knew  what  became  of  him  ;  while  the  old  lord 
went  home  once  more  to  his  Palace  by  the  sea,  for  he 
could  not  stay  at  Court,  when  he  had  sworn  never  to 
look  on  his  granddaughter's  face. 

So  there  he  still  sits  by  his  window,  if  you  could 
only  see  him,  as  you  some  day  may,  weeping  more 
bitterly  than  ever,  as  he  looks  out  over  the  sea. 


The  Wee  Bannock 

f^RANNIE,  grannie,  come  tell  us  the  story  of  the 
\J~     wee  bannock" 

"Hout,  childer,  ye  've  heard  it  a  hundred  times 
afore.     I  need  nt  tell  it  over  again" 

"Ah  /  but,  grannie,  it 's  such  a  Jine  one.  You  must 
tell  it.  Just  once" 

"  Well,  well,  if  ye  7/  all  promise  to  be  good,  I'll  tell 
it  ye  again" 

There  lived  an  old  man  and  an  old  woman  at  the 
side  of  a  burn.  They  had  two  cows,  five  hens,  and 
a  cock,  a  cat  and  two  kittens.  The  old  man  looked 
after  the  cows,  and  the  old  wife  span  on  the  distaff. 
The  kittens  oft  gripped  at  the  old  wife's  spindle,  as  it 
tussled  over  the  hearthstone.  "  Sho,  sho,"  she  would 
say,  "  go  away ; "  and  so  it  tussled  about. 

One  day,  after  breakfast,  she  thought  she  would 
have  a  bannock.  So  she  baked  two  oatmeal  ban- 
nocks, and  set  them  on  to  the  fire  to  harden.  After 
a  while,  the  old  man  came  in,  and  sat  down  beside 
the  fire,  and  takes  one  of  the  bannocks,  and  snaps  it 
through  the  middle.  When  the  other  one  sees  this, 

73 


74  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

it  runs  off  as  fast  as  it  could,  and  the  old  wife  after 
it,  with  the  spindle  in  the  one  hand,  and  the  distaff  in 
the  other.  But  the  wee  bannock  ran  away  and  out 
of  sight,  and  ran  till  it  came  to  a  pretty  large  thatched 
house,  and  it  ran  boldly  up  inside  to  the  fireside  ;  and 
there  were  three  tailors  sitting  on  a  big  bench.  When 
they  saw  the  wee  bannock  come  in,  they  jumped  up, 


and  got  behind  the  goodwife,  that  was  carding  tow 
by  the  fire.  "  Hout,"  quoth  she,  "  be  no  afeard  ;  it 's 
but  a  wee  bannock.  Grip  it,  and  I  '11  give  ye  a  sup 
of  milk  with  it."  Up  she  gets  with  the  tow-cards  and 
the  tailor  with  the  goose,  and  the  two  'prentices,  the 
one  with  the  big  shears,  and  the  other  with  the  law- 
brod  ;  but  it  dodged  them,  and  ran  round  about  the 
fire  ;  and  one  of  the  'prentices,  thinking  to  snap  it 
with  the  shears,  fell  into  the  ashes.  The  tailor  cast 
the  goose,  and  the  goodwife  the  tow-cards ;  but  it 
would  n't  do.  The  bannock  ran  away,  and  ran  till  it 
came  to  a  wee  house  at  the  roadside  ;  and  in  it  runs. 


The  Wee  Bannock  75 

and  there  was  a  weaver  sitting  at  the  loom,  and  the 
wife  winding  a  clue  of  yarn. 

"Tibby,"  quoth  he,  "what's  that?" 
41  Oh,"  quoth  she,  "  it 's  a  wee  bannock." 
"  It 's  well  come,"  quoth  he,  "  for  our  porrage  were 
but  thin  to-day.     Grip  it,  my  woman  ;  grip  it." 

"Ay,"  quoth  she;  "what  recks!     That's  a  clever 
bannock.     Catch  it,  Willie ;  catch  it,  man." 
"  Hout,"  quoth  Willie,  "  cast  the  clue  at  it/' 
But  the  bannock  dodged  round  about,  and  off  it 
went,  and  over  the  hill,  like  a  new-tarred  sheep  or  a 
mad  cow.     And  forward  it  runs  to  the  neat-house,  to 
the  fireside ;  and  there  was  the  goodwife  churning. 

"  Come  away,  wee  bannock,"  quoth  she  ;  "  I  '11  have 
cream  and  bread  to-day."  But  the  wee  bannock 
dodged  round  about  the  churn,  and  the  wife  after  it, 
and  in  the  hurry  she  had  near-hand  overturned  the 
churn.  And  before  she  got  it  set  right  again,  the 
wee  bannock  was  off  and  down  the  brae  to  the  mill ; 
and  in  it  ran. 

The  miller  was  sifting  meal  in  the  trough ;  but, 
looking  up  :  "  Ay,"  quoth  he,  "  it 's  a  sign  of  plenty 
when  ye  're  running  about,  and  nobody  to  look  after 
ye.  But  I  like  a  bannock  and  cheese.  Come  your 
way  hither,  and  I  '11  give  ye  a  night's  quarters."  But 
the  bannock  would  n't  trust  itself  with  the  miller  and 
his  cheese.  So  it  turned  and  ran  its  way.out ;  but  the 
miller  did  n't  fash  his  head  with  it. 

So  it  toddled  away  and  ran  till  it  came  to  the  smithy ; 
and  in  it  runs,  and  up  to  the  anvil.  The  smith  was 
making  horse-nails.  Quoth  he  :  "I  like  a  glass  of 


76  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

good  ale  and  a  well-toasted  bannock.  Come  your 
way  in  by  here."  But  the  bannock  was  frightened 
when  it  heard  about  the  ale,  and  turned  and  was  off 
as  hard  as  it  could,  and  the  smith  after  it,  and  cast 
the  hammer.  But  it  missed,  and  the  bannock  was 
out  of  sight  in  a  crack,  and  ran  till  it  came  to  a  farm> 
house  with  a  good  peat-stack  at  the  end  of  it.  Inside 
it  runs  to  the  fireside.  The  goodman  was  cloving 
lint,  and  the  goodwife  heckling.  "  O  Janet,"  quoth 
he,  "  there  's  a  wee  bannock  ;  I  '11  have  the  half  of  it." 

"Well,  John,  I  '11  have  the  other  half.  Hit  it  over 
the  back  with  the  clove."  But  the  bannock  played 
dodgings.  "  Hout,  tout,"  quoth  the  wife,  and  made 
the  heckle  flee  at  it.  But  it  was  too  clever  for  her. 

And  off  and  up  the  burn  it  ran  to  the  next  house, 
and  rolled  its  way  to  the  fireside.  The  goodwife  was 
stirring  the  soup,  and  the  goodman  plaiting  sprit-bin- 
nings  for  the  cows.  "  Ho,  Jock,"  quoth  the  good- 
wife,  "  here  come.  You  're  always  crying  about  a 
wee  bannock.  Here  's  one.  Come  in,  haste  ye,  and 
I  '11  help  ye  to  grip  it." 

"  Ay,  mother,  where  is  it  ?  " 

"  See  there.     Run  over  on  that  side." 

But  the  bannock  ran  in  behind  the  goodman's  chair. 
Jock  fell  among  the  sprits.  The  goodman  cast  a 
binning,  and  the  goodwife  the  spurtle.  But  it  was 
too  clever  for  Jock  and  her  both.  It  was  off  and  out 
of  sight  in  a  crack,  and  through  among  the  whins, 
and  down  the  road  to  the  next  house,  and  in  and 
snug  by  the  fireside.  The  folk  were  just  sitting 
down  to  their  soup,  and  the  goodwife  scraping  the 


The  Wee  Bannock  77 

pot.     "  Look,"  quoth  she,  "  there  's   a  wee  bannock 
come  in  to  warm  itself  at  our  fireside." 

"Shut  the  door,"  quoth  the  goodman,  "and  we'll 
try  to  get  a  grip  of  it." 

When  the  bannock  heard  that,  it  ran  out  of  the 
house  and  they  after  it  with  their  spoons,  and  the 
goodman  shied  his  hat.  But  it  rolled  away  and  ran, 
and  ran,  till  it  came  to  another  house ;  and  when  it 
went  in  the  folk  were  just  going  to  their  beds.  The 
goodman  was  taking  off  his  breeches,  and  the  good- 
wife  raking  the  fire. 

"What's  that?"  quoth  he. 
44  Oh,"  quoth  she,  4<  it 's  a  wee  bannock." 
Quoth  he,  44 1  could  eat  the  half  of  it." 
44  Grip  it,"  quoth  the  wife,  44and  I  '11  have  a  bit  too." 
44  Cast  your  breeches  at  it ! "     The  goodman  shied 
his  breeches,  and  had  nearly  smothered  it.     But  it 
wriggled  out  and  ran,  and  the  goodman  after  it  with- 
out his  breeches ;  and  there  was  a  clean  chase  over 
the  craft  park,  and  in  among  the  whins ;  and  the 
goodman   lost   it,  and  had  to   come  away,  trotting 
home  half  naked.     But  now  it  was  grown  dark,  and 
the  wee  bannock  could  n't  see ;  but  it  went  into  the 
side  of  a  big  whin  bush,  and  into  a  fox's  hole.     The 
fox  had  had  no  meat  for  two  days.     "  O  welcome, 
welcome,"  quoth  the  fox,  and  snapped  it  in  two  in 
the  middle.      And  that  was  the  end  of  the  wee 
bannock. 


Johnny  Gloke 

JOHNNY  GLOKE  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  but 
like  a  man  of  spirit  he  grew  tired  of  his  tailor- 
ing, and  wished  to  follow  some  other  path  that 
would  lead  to  honour  and  fame.  But  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do  at  first  to  gain  fame  and  fortune,  so 
for  a  time  he  was  fonder  of  basking  idly  in  the  sun 
than  in  plying  the  needle  and  scissors.  One  warm 
day  as  he  was  enjoying  his  ease,  he  was  annoyed  by 
the  flies  alighting  on  his  bare  ankles.  He  brought 
his  hand  down  on  them  with  force  and  killed  a  goodly 
number  of  them.  On  counting  the  victims  of  his 
valour,  he  was  overjoyed  at  his  success ;  his  heart 
rose  to  the  doing  of  great  deeds,  and  he  gave  vent  to 
his  feelings  in  the  saying  : — 

"  Well  done !  Johnny  Gloke, 
Kilt  fifty  flies  at  one  stroke." 

His  resolution  was  now  taken  to  cut  out  his  path 
to  fortune  and  honour.  So  he  took  down  from  its 
resting-place  a  rusty  old  sword  that  had  belonged 
to  some  of  his  forebears,  and  set  out  in  search  of 

78 


Johnny  Gloke  79 

adventures.  After  travelling  a  long  way,  he  came  to 
a  country  that  was  much  troubled  by  two  giants, 
whom  no  one  was  bold  enough  to  meet,  and  strong 
enough  to  overcome.  He  was  soon  told  of  the 
giants,  and  learned  that  the  King  of  the  country  had 
offered  a  great  reward  and  the  hand  of  his  daughter 
in  marriage  to  the  man  who  should  rid  his  land  of 
this  scourge.  John's  heart  rose  to  the  deed,  and  he 
offered  himself  for  the  service.  The  great  haunt  of 
the  giants  was  a  wood,  and  John  set  out  with  his  old 
sword  to  perform  his  task.  When  he  reached  the 
wood,  he  laid  himself  down  to  think  what  course  he 
would  follow,  for  he  knew  how  weak  he  was  com- 
pared to  those  he  had  undertaken  to  kill.  He  had 
not  waited  long,  when  he  saw  them  coming  with  a 
waggon  to  fetch  wood  for  fuel.  My  !  they  were  big 
ones,  with  huge  heads  and  long  tusks  for  teeth. 
Johnny  hid  himself  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  thinking 
only  of  his  own  safety.  Feeling  himself  safe,  he 
peeped  out  of  his  hiding-place,  and  watched  the  two 
at  work.  Thus  watching  he  formed  his  plan  of 
action.  He  picked  up  a  pebble,  threw  it  with  force 
at  one  of  them,  and  struck  him  a  sharp  blow  on  the 
head.  The  giant  in  his  pain  turned  at  once  on  his 
companion,  and  blamed  him  in  strong  words  for 
hitting  him.  The  other  denied  in  anger  that  he  had 
thrown  the  pebble.  John  now  saw  himself  on  the 
high  way  to  gain  his  reward  and  the  hand  of  the 
King's  daughter.  He  kept  still,  and  carefully  watched 
for  an  opportunity  of  striking  another  blow.  He  sooft 
found  it,  and  right  against  the  giant's  head  went 


8o  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

another  pebble.  The  injured  giant  fell  on  his  com- 
panion in  fury,  and  the  two  belaboured  each  other  till 
they  were  utterly  tired  out.  They  sat  down  on  a  log 
to  breathe,  rest,  and  recover  themselves. 

While  sitting,  one  of  them  said,  "  Well,  all  the 
King's  army  was  not  able  to  take  us,  but  I  fear  an  old 
woman  with  a  rope's  end  would  be  too  much  for 


us  now." 


"  If  that  be  so,"  said  Johnny  Gloke,  as  he  sprang, 
bold  as  a  lion,  from  his  hiding-place,  "What  do  you 
say  to  Johnny  Gloke  with  his  old  roosty  sword  ?"  So 
saying  he  fell  upon  them,  cut  off  their  heads,  and 
returned  in  triumph.  He  received  the  King's  daughter 
in  marriage  and  for  a  time  lived  in  peace  and  happi- 
ness. He  never  told  the  mode  he  followed  in  his 
dealing  with  the  giants. 


Some  time  after  a  rebellion  broke  out  among  the 
subjects  of  his  father-in-law.  John,  on  the  strength 
of  his  former  valiant  deed,  was  chosen  to  quell  the 
rebellion.  His  heart  sank  within  him,  but  he  could 
not  refuse,  and  so  lose  his  great  name.  He  was 
mounted  on  the  fiercest  horse  that  ever  saw  sun  or 


Johnny  Gloke  81 

wind,  and  set  out  on  his  desperate  task.  He  was  not 
accustomed  to  ride  on  horseback,  and  he  soon  lost  all 
control  of  his  steed.  It  galloped  off  at  full  speed,  in 
the  direction  of  the  rebel  army.  In  its  wild  career  it 
passed  under  the  gallows  that  stood  by  the  wayside. 
The  gallows  was  somewhat  old  and  frail,  and  down  it 
fell  on  the  horse's  neck.  Still  the  horse  made  no 
stop,  but  always  forward  at  furious  speed  towards  the 
rebels.  On  seeing  this  strange  sight  approaching 
towards  them  at  such  a  speed  they  were  seized  with 
terror,  and  cried  out  to  one  another,  "  There  comes 
Johnny  Gloke  that  killed  the  two  giants  with  the 
gallows  on  his  horse's  neck  to  hang  us  all."  They 
broke  their  ranks,  fled  in  dismay,  and  never  stopped 
till  they  reached  their  homes.  Thus  was  Johnny 
Gloke  a  second  time  victorious.  So  in  due  time  he 
came  to  the  throne  and  lived  a  long,  happy,  and  good 
life  as  king. 


Coat  o'  Clay 

ONCE  on  a  time,  in  the  parts  of  Lindsey,  there 
lived  a  wise  woman.  Some  said  she  was  a 
witch,  but  they  said  it  in  a  whisper,  lest  she 
should  overhear  and  do  them  a  mischief,  and  truly  it 
was  not  a  thing  one  could  be  sure  of,  for  she  was 
never  known  to  hurt  any  one,  which,  if  she  were  a 
witch,  she  would  have  been  sure  to  do.  But  she 
could  tell  you  what  your  sickness  was,  and  how  to 
cure  it  with  herbs,  and  she  could  mix  rare  possets 
that  would  drive  the  pain  out  of  you  in  a  twinkling ; 
and  she  could  advise  you  what  to  do  if  your  cows 
were  ill,  or  if  you  'd  got  into  trouble,  and  tell  the 
maids  whether  their  sweethearts  were  likely  to  be 
faithful. 

But  she  was  ill-pleased  if  folks  questioned  her  too 
much  or  too  long,  and  she  sore  misliked  fools.  A 
many  came  to  her  asking  foolish  things,  as  was  their 
nature,  and  to  them  she  never  gave  counsel — at  least 
of  a  kind  that  could  aid  them  much. 

Well,  one  day,  as  she  sat  at  her  door  paring 
potatoes,  over  the  stile  and  up  the  path  came  a  tall 
lad  with  a  long  nose  and  goggle  eyes  and  his  hands 
in  his  pockets. 


Coat  o'  Clay  83 

"  That 's  a  fool,  if  ever  was  one,  and  a  fool's  luck 
in  his  face,"  said  the  wise  woman  to  herself  with  a 
nod  of  her  head,  and  threw  a  potato  skin  over  her 
left  shoulder  to  keep  off  ill-chance. 

"  Good-day,  missis,"  said  the  fool.  "  I  be  come  to 
see  thee." 

"So  thou  art,"  said  the  wise  woman;  "I  see  that 
How  's  all  in  thy  folk  this  year  ?" 

"  Oh,  fairly,"  answered  he.  "  But  they  say  I  be 
a  fool." 

"Ay,  so  thou  art,"  nodded  she,  and  threw  away 
a  bad  potato.  "  I  see  that  too.  But  wouldst  o'  me  ? 
I  keep  no  brains  for  sale." 

"  Well,  see  now.  Mother  says  I  '11  ne'er  be  wiser 
all  my  born  days ;  but  folks  tell  us  thou  canst  do 
everything.  Can't  thee  teach  me  a  bit,  so  they  '11 
think  me  a  clever  fellow  at  home  ?" 

"Hout-tout!"  said  the  wise  woman;  "thou'rt  a 
bigger  fool  than  I  thought.  Nay,  I  can't  teach  thee 
nought,  lad ;  but  I  tell  thee  summat.  Thou  'It  be  a 
fool  all  thy  days  till  thou  gets  a  coat  o'  clay ;  and 
then  thou  'It  know  more  than  me." 

"Hi,  missis;  what  sort  of  a  coat's  that?"  said  he. 

"That's  none  o'  my  business,"  answered  she. 
•'Thou  'st  got  to  find  out  that." 

And  she  took  up  her  potatoes  and  went  into  her 
house. 

The  fool  took  off  his  cap  and  scratched  his  head. 

"It's  a  queer  kind  of  coat  to  look  for,  sure-/y," 
said  he,  "I  never  heard  of  a  coat  o'  clay.  But  then 
I  be  a  fool,  that 's  true." 


84  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

So  he  walked  on  till  he  came  to  the  drain  near 
by,  with  just  a  pickle  of  water  and  a  foot  of  mud 
in  it. 

"  Here  's  muck,"  said  the  fool,  much  pleased,  and 
he  got  in  and  rolled  in  it  spluttering.  "Hi,  yi!" 
said  he — for  he  had  his  mouth  full — "  I  Ve  got  a  coat 
o'  clay  now  to  be  sure.  I  '11  go  home  and  tell  my 
mother  I  'm  a  wise  man  and  not  a  fool  any  longer." 
And  he  went  on  home. 

Presently  he  came  to  a  cottage  with  a  lass  at  the 
door. 

"  Morning,  fool,"  said  she  ;  "  hast  thou  been  ducked 
in  the  horse-pond?" 

"  Fool  yourself,"  said  he,  "  the  wise  woman  says 
I  '11  know  more  'n  she  when  I  get  a  coat  o'  clay,  and 
here  it  is.  Shall  I  marry  thee,  lass?" 

"  Ay,"  said  she,  for  she  thought  she  'd  like  a  fool 
for  a  husband,  "when  shall  it  be?" 

"  I  '11  come  and  fetch  thee  when  I  Ve  told  my 
mother,"  said  the  fool,  and  he  gave  her  his  lucky 
penny  and  went  on. 

When  he  got  home  his  mother  was  on  the  doorstep. 

"  Mother,  I  've  got  a  coat  o'  clay,"  said  he. 

"  Coat  o'  muck,"  said  she  ;  "and  what  of  that?" 

"  Wise  woman  said  I  'd  know  more  than  she  when 
I  got  a  coat  o'  clay,"  said  he,  "  so  I  down  in  the  drain 
and  got  one,  and  I  'm  not  a  fool  any  longer." 

"Very  good,"  said  his  mother,  "now  thou  canst 
get  a  wife." 

41  Ay,"  said  he,  "  I  'm  going  to  marry  so-an'-so." 

"What! "said  his  mother,  "that  lass?     No,   and 


Coat  o'  Clay  85 

that  thou  'It  not.  She 's  nought  but  a  brat,  with 
ne'er  a  cow  or  a  cabbage  o'  her  own." 

"  But  I  gave  her  my  luck  penny,"  said  the  fool. 

"  Then  thou  'rt  a  bigger  fool  than  ever,  for  all  thy 
coat  o'  clay ! "  said  his  mother,  and  banged  the  door 
in  his  face. 

"  Dang  it !"  said  the  fool,  and  scratched  his  head, 
"  that 's  not  the  right  sort  o'  clay  sure-/y." 

So  back  he  went  to  the  highroad  and  sat  down  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  close  by,  looking  at  the  water, 
which  was  cool  and  clear. 

By-and-by  he  fell  asleep,  and  before  he  knew  what 
he  was  about — plump — he  rolled  off  into  the  river 
with  a  splash,  and  scrambled  out,  dripping  like  a 
drowned  rat. 

"  Dear,  dear,"  said  he,  "  I  'd  better  go  and  get  dry 
in  the  sun."  So  up  he  went  to  the  highroad,  and  lay 
down  in  the  dust,  rolling  about  so  that  the  sun  should 
get  at  him  all  over. 

Presently,  when  he  sat  up  and  looked  down  at 
himself,  he  found  that  the  dust  had  caked  into  a  sort 
of  skin  over  his  wet  clothes  till  you  could  not  see  an 
inch  of  them,  they  were  so  well  covered.  "  Hi,  yi !" 
said  he,  "  here 's  a  coat  o'  clay  ready  made,  and  a  fine 
one.  See  now,  I  'm  a  clever  fellow  this  time  sure-/)/, 
for  I  Ve  found  what  I  wanted  without  looking  for  it ! 
Wow,  but  it 's  a  fine  feeling  to  be  so  smart !" 

And  he  sat  and  scratched  his  head,  and  thought 
about  his  own  cleverness. 

But  all  of  a  sudden,  round  the  corner  came  the 
squire  on  horseback,  full  gallop,  as  if  the  boggles 


86  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

were  after  him ;  but  the  fool  had  to  jump,  even 
though  the  squire  pulled  his  horse  back  on  his 
haunches. 

"  What  the  dickens,"  said  the  squire,  "  do  you 
mean  by  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  road  like  that?" 

"  Well,  master,"  said  the  fool,  "  I  fell  into  the 
water  and  got  wet,  so  I  lay  down  in  the  road  to  get 
dry ;  and  I  lay  down  a  fool  an'  got  up  a  wise  man." 

•:  How's  that?"  said  the  squire. 

So  the  fool  told  him  about  the  wise  woman  and  the 
coat  o'  clay. 

"  Ah,  ah  !"  laughed  the  squire,  "  whoever  heard  of 
a  wise  man  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  highroad  to  be 
ridden  over  ?  Lad,  take  my  word  for  it,  you  are  a 
bigger  fool  than  ever,"  and  he  rode  on  laughing. 

"  Dang  it ! "  said  the  fool,  as  he  scratched  his  head. 
"  I  Ve  not  got  the  right  sort  of  coat  yet,  then."  And 
he  choked  and  spluttered  in  the  dust  that  the  squire's 
horse  had  raised. 

So  on  he  went  in  a  melancholy  mood  till  he  came 
to  an  inn,  and  the  landlord  at  his  door  smoking. 

"Well,  fool,"  said  he,  "  thou  'rt  fine  and  dirty." 

"  Ay,"  said  the  fool,  "  I  be  dirty  outside  an'  dusty 
in,  but  it 's  not  the  right  thing  yet." 

And  he  told  the  landlord  all  about  the  wise  woman 
and  the  coat  o'  clay. 

"  Hout-tout!"  said  the  landlord,  with  a  wink.  "  I 
know  what 's  wrong.  "  Thou  'st  got  a  skin  o'  dirt 
outside  and  all  dry  dust  inside.  Thou  must  moisten 
it,  lad,  with  a  good  drink,  and  then  thou  'It  have  a 
real  all-over  coat  o'  clay." 


Coat  o   Clay  87 

"  Hi,"  said  the  fool,  "  that 's  a  good  word." 

So  down  he  sat  and  began  to  drink.  But  it  was 
wonderful  how  much  liquor  it  took  to  moisten  so 
much  dust ;  and  each  time  he  got  to  the  bottom  of 
the  pot  he  found  he  was  still  dry.  At  last  he  began 
to  feel  very  merry  and  pleased  with  himself. 

"  Hi,  yi !"  said  he.  "  I  Ve  got  a  real  coat  o'  clay 
now  outside  and  in — what  a  difference  it  do  make,  to 
be  sure.  I  feel  another  man  now — so  smart." 

And  he  told  the  landlord  he  was  certainly  a  wise 
man  now,  though  he  could  n't  speak  over-distinctly 
after  drinking  so  much.  So  up  he  got,  and  thought 
he  would  go  home  and  tell  his  mother  she  had  n't  a 
fool  for  a  son  any  more. 

But  just  as  he  was  trying  to  get  through  the  inn- 
door  which  would  scarcely  keep  still  long  enough  for 
him  to  find  it,  up  came  the  landlord  and  caught  him 
by  the  sleeve. 

"  See  here,  master,"  said  he,  "  thou 
has  n't  paid  for  thy  score — where  's  thy 
money?" 

"Haven't  any! "said  the  fool,  and 
pulled  out  his  pockets  to  show  they 
were  empty. 

"What!"  said  the  landlord,  and 
swore ;  "  thou  'st  drunk  all  my  liquor 
and  have  n't  got  nought  to  pay  for  it 
with ! " 

"  Hi  1 "  said  the  fool.  "  You  told  me 
to  drink  so  as  to  get  a  coat  o'  clay ;  but 
as  I  'm  a  wise  man  now  I  don't  mind  helping  thee 


88  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

along  in  the  world  a  bit,  for  though  I  'm  a  smart 
fellow  I  'm  not  too  proud  to  my  friends." 

"Wise  man!  smart  fellow!"  said  the  landlord, 
"  and  help  me  along,  wilt  thee  ?  Dang  it !  thou  'rt 
the  biggest  fool  I  ever  saw,  and  it 's  I  '11  help  thee 
first — out  o'  this  ! " 

And  he  kicked  him  out  of  the  door  into  the  road 
and  swore  at  him. 

"  Hum,"  said  the  fool,  as  he  lay  in  the  dust,  "  I  'm  not 
so  wise  as  I  thought.  I  guess  I  '11  go  back  to  the  wise 
woman  and  tell  her  there  's  a  screw  loose  somewhere." 

So  up  he  got  and  went  along  to  her  house,  and 
found  her  sitting  at  the  door. 

"  So  thou  'rt  come  back,"  said  she,  with  a  nod. 
"  What  dost  thou  want  with  me  now  ?  " 

So  he  sat  down  and  told  her  how  he  'd  tried  to  get 
a  coat  o'  clay,  and  he  was  n't  any  wiser  for  all  of  it. 

41  No,"  said  the  wise  woman,  "  thou  'rt  a  bigger  fool 
than  ever,  my  lad." 

"  So  they  all  say,"  sighed  the  fool ;  "but  where 
can  I  get  the  right  sort  of  coat  o'  clay,  then,  missis  ?" 

"  When  thou  'rt  done  with  this  world,  and  thy  folk 
put  thee  in  the  ground,"  said  the  wise  woman. 
"  That 's  the  only  coat  o'  clay  as  '11  make  such  as  thee 
wise,  lad.  Born  a  fool,  die  a  fool,  and  be  a  fool  thy 
life  long,  and  that 's  the  truth  !  " 

And  she  went  into  the  house  and  shut  the  door. 

"  Dang  it,"  said  the  fool.  "  I  must  tell  my  mother 
she  was  right  after  all,  and  that  she  '11  never  have  a 
wise  man  for  a  son  ! " 

And  he  went  off  home. 


The  Three  Cows 

THERE  was  a  farmer,  and  he  had  three  cows; 
fine  fat  beauties  they  were.  One  was  called 
Facey,  the  other  Diamond,  and  the  third 
Beauty.  One  morning  he  went  into  his  cowshed,  and 
there  he  found  Facey  so  thin  that  the  wind  would 
have  blown  her  away.  Her  skin  hung  loose  about 
her,  all  her  flesh  was  gone,  and  she  stared  out  of  her 
great  eyes  as  though  she  'd  seen  a  ghost ;  and  what 
was  more,  the  fireplace  in  the  kitchen  was  one  great 
pile  of  wood-ash.  Well,  he  was  bothered  with  it ;  he 
could  not  see  how  all  this  had  come  about. 

Next  morning  his  wife  went  out  to  the  shed,  and 
see  !  Diamond  was  for  all  the  world  as  wisht  a  look- 
ing creature  as  Facey — nothing  but  a  bag  of  bones, 
all  the  flesh  gone,  and  half  a  rick  of  wood  was  gone 
too  ;  but  the  fireplace  was  piled  up  three  feet  high 
with  white  wood-ashes.  The  farmer  determined  to 
watch  the  third  night ;  so  he  hid  in  a  closet  which 
opened  out  of  the  parlour,  and  he  left  the  door  just 
ajar,  that  he  might  see  what  passed. 

Tick,  tick,  went  the  clock,  and  the  farmer  was 
nearly  tired  of  waiting  ;  he  had  to  bite  his  little  finger 

89 


90  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

to  keep  himself  awake,  when  suddenly  the  door  of 
his  house  flew  open,  and  in  rushed  maybe  a  thousand 
pixies,  laughing  and  dancing  and  dragging  at  Beauty's 
halter  till  they  had  brought  the  cow  into  the  middle 
of  the  room.  The  farmer  really  thought  he  should 
have  died  with  fright,  and  so  perhaps  he  would  had 
not  curiosity  kept  him  alive. 

Tick,  tick,  went  the  clock,  but  he  did  not  hear  it 
now.  He  was  too  intent  staring  at  the  pixies  and  his 
last  beautiful  cow.  He  saw  them  throw  her  down, 
fall  on  her,  and  kill  her ;  then  with  their  knives  they 


ripped  her  open,  and  flayed  her  as  clean  as  a  whistle. 
Then  out  ran  some  of  the  little  people  and  brought 
in  firewood  and  made  a  roaring  blaze  on  the  hearth, 
and  there  they  cooked  the  flesh  of  the  cow — they 
baked  and  they  boiled,  they  stewed  and  they  fried. 

"  Take  care,"  cried  one,  who  seemed  to  be  the 
king,  "  let  no  bone  be  broken." 

Well,  when  they  had  all  eaten,  and  had  devoured 
every  scrap  of  beef  on  the  cow,  they  began  playing 


The  Three  Cows  91 

games  with  the  bones,  tossing  them  one  to  another. 
One  little  leg-bone  fell  close  to  the  closet  door,  and 
the  farmer  was  so  afraid  lest  the  pixies  should  come 
there  and  find  him  in  their  search  for  the  bone,  that 
he  put  out  his  hand  and  drew  it  in  to  him.  Then  he 
saw  the  king  stand  on  the  table  and  say,  "  Gather  the 
bones!" 

Round  and  round  flew  the  imps,  picking  up  the 
bones.  "Arrange  them,"  said  the  king;  and  they 
placed  them  all  in  their  proper  positions  in  the  hide 
of  the  cow.  Then  they  folded  the  skin  over  them, 
and  the  king  struck  the  heap  of  bone  and  skin  with 
his  rod.  Whisht !  up  sprang  the  cow  and  lowed  dis- 
mally. It  was  alive  again  ;  but,  alas !  as  the  pixies 
dragged  it  back  to  its  stall,  it  halted  in  the  off  fore- 
foot, for  a  bone  was  missing. 

"  The  cock  crew, 
Away  they  flew." 

and  the  farmer  crept  trembling  to  bed. 


The  Blinded  Giant 

AT  Dalton,  near  Thirsk,  in  Yorkshire,  there  is  a 
mill.     It  has  quite  recently  been  rebuilt ;  but 
when  I  was  at  Dalton,  six  years  ago,  the  old 
building  stood.     In  front  of  the  house  was  a  long 
mound  which  went  by  the  name  of  "  the  giant's  grave," 
and  in  the  mill  you  can  see  a  long  blade  of  iron  some- 
thing like  a  scythe-blade,  but  not  curved,  which  was 
called  "  the  giant's  knife,"  because  of  a  very  curious 
story  which  is  told  of  this  knife.     Would  you  like  to 
hear  it  ?     Well,  it  is  n't  very  long. 

There  once  lived  a  giant  at  this  mill  who  had  only 
one  eye  in  the  middle  of  his  forehead,  and  he  ground 
men's  bones  to  make  his  bread.  One  day  he  captured 
on  Pilmoor  a  lad  named  Jack,  and  instead  of  grinding 
him  in  the  mill  he  kept  him  grinding  as  his  servant, 
and  never  let  him  get  away.  Jack  served  the  giant 
seven  years,  and  never  was  allowed  a  holiday  the 
whole  time.  At  last  he  could  bear  it  no  longer. 
Topcliffe  fair  was  coming  on,  and  Jack  begged  that 
he  might  be  allowed  to  go  there. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  giant,  "stop  at  home  and  mind 
your  grinding." 

92 


The  Blinded  Giant  93 

"  I  Ve  been  grinding  and  grinding  these  seven 
years,"  said  Jack,  "  and  not  a  holiday  have  I  had. 
I  '11  have  one  now,  whatever  you  say." 

"  We  '11  see  about  that,"  said  the  giant. 

Well,  the  day  was  hot,  and  after  dinner  the  giant 
lay  down  in  the  mill  with  his  head  on  a  sack  and 
dozed.  He  had  been  eating  in  the  mill,  and  had  laid 
down  a  great  loaf  of  bone  bread  by  his  side,  and  the 
knife  I  told  you  about  was  in  his  hand,  but  his  fingers 
relaxed  their  hold  of  it  in  sleep.  Jack  seized  the 
knife,  and  holding  it  with  both  his  hands  drove  the 
blade  into  the  single  eye  of  the  giant,  who  woke  with 
a  howl  of  agony,  and  starting  up,  barred  the  door. 
Jack  was  again  in  difficulties,  for  he  could  n't  get  out, 
but  he  soon  found  a  way  out  of  them.  The  giant 
had  a  favourite  dog,  which  had  also  been  sleeping 
when  his  master  was  blinded.  So  Jack  killed  the 
dog,  skinned  it,  and  threw  the  hide  over  his  back. 

"  Bow,  wow,"  says  Jack. 

"  At  him,  Truncheon,"  said  the  giant ;  "  at  the  little 
wretch  that  I  Ve  fed  these  seven  years,  and  now  has 
blinded  me." 

"  Bow,  wow,"  says  Jack,  and  ran  between  the  giant's 
legs  on  all-fours,  barking  till  he  got  to  the  door.  He 
unlatched  it  and  was  off,  and  never  more  was  seen  at 
Dalton  Mill. 


Scrapefoot 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  there  were  three  Bears  who 
lived  in  a  castle  in  a  great  wood.  One  of 
them  was  a  great  big  Bear,  and  one  was  a 
middling  Bear,  and  one  was  a  little  Bear.  And  in 
the  same  wood  there  was  a  Fox  who  lived  all  alone, 
his  name  was  Scrapefoot.  Scrapefoot  was  very  much 
afraid  of  the  Bears,  but  for  all  that  he  wanted  very 
much  to  know  all  about  them.  And  one  day  as  he 
went  through  the  wood  he  found  himself  near  the 
Bears'  Castle,  and  he  wondered  whether  he  could  get 
into  the  castle.  He  looked  all  about  him  everywhere, 
and  he  could  not  see  any  one.  So  he  came  up  very 
quietly,  till  at  last  he  came  up  to  the  door  of  the 
castle,  and  he  tried  whether  he  could  open  it.  Yes ! 
the  door  was  not  locked,  and  he  opened  it  just  a  little 
way,  and  put  his  nose  in  and  looked,  and  he  could 
not  see  any  one.  So  then  he  opened  it  a  little  way 
farther,  and  put  one  paw  in,  and  then  another  paw, 
and  another  and  another,  and  then  he  was  all  in  the 
Bears'  Castle.  He  found  he  was  in  a  great  hall  with 
three  chairs  in  it — one  big,  one  middling,  and  one 
little  chair ;  and  he  thought  he  would  like  to  sit  down 

94 


Scrapefoot  95 

and  rest  and  look  about  him  ;  so  he  sat  down  on  the 
big  chair.  But  he  found  it  so  hard  and  uncomfortable 
that  it  made  his  bones  ache,  and  he  jumped  down  at 
once  and  got  into  the  middling  chair,  and  he  turned 
round  and  round  in  it,  but  he  could  n't  make  himself 
comfortable.  So  then  he  went  to  the  little  chair  and 
sat  down  in  it,  and  it  was  so  soft  and  warm  and  com- 
fortable that  Scrapefoot  was  quite  happy ;  but  all  at 
once  it  broke  to  pieces  under  him  and  he  could  n't 
put  it  together  again  !  So  he  got  up  and  began  to 
look  about  him  again,  and  on  one  table  he  saw  three 
saucers,  of  which  one  was  very  big,  one  was  middling, 
one  was  quite  a  little  saucer.  Scrapefoot  was  very 
thirsty,  and  he  began  to  drink  out  of  the  big  saucer. 
But  he  only  just  tasted  the  milk  in  the  big  saucer, 
which  was  so  sour  and  so  nasty  that  he  would  not 
taste  another  drop  of  it.  Then  he  tried  the  middling 
saucer,  and  he  drank  a  little  of  that.  He  tried  two 
or  three  mouthfuls,  but  it  was  not  nice,  and  then  he 
left  it  and  went  to  the  little  saucer,  and  the  milk  in 
the  little  saucer  was  so  sweet  and  so  nice  that  he  went 
on  drinking  it  till  it  was  all  gone. 

Then  Scrapefoot  thought  he  would  like  to  go 
upstairs ;  and  he  listened  and  he  could  not  hear  any 
one.  So  upstairs  he  went,  and  he  found  a  great  room 
with  three  beds  in  it ;  one  was  a  big  bed,  and  one 
was  a  middling  bed,  and  one  was  a  little  white  bed ; 
and  he  climbed  up  into  the  big  bed,  but  it  was  so 
hard  and  lumpy  and  uncomfortable  that  he  jump- 
ed down  again  at  once,  and  tried  the  middling 
bed.  That  was  rather  better,  but  he  could  not  get 


g6  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

comfortably  in  it,  so  after  turning  about  a  little  while 
he  ,got  up  and  went  to  the  little  bed ;  and  that  was 
so  soft  and  so  warm  and  so  nice  that  he  fell  fast 
asleep  at  once. 

And  after  a  time  the  Bears  came  home,  and  when 


they  got  into  the  hall  the  big  Bear  went  to  his  chair 
and  said,  "  WHO'S  BEEN  SITTING  IN  MY 
CHAIR?"  and  the  middling  Bear  said,  "  WHO'S  BEEN 
SITTING  IN  MY  CHAIR?"  and  the  little  Bear  said, 
"  Who  's  been  sitting  in  my  chair  and  has  broken  it  ah 


Scrapefoot  97 

to  pieces?"  And  then  they  went  to  have  their  milk, 
and  the  big  Bear  said,  "WHO  'S  BEEN  DRINK- 
ING MY  MILK?"  and  the  middling  Bear  said, 
''WHO'S  BEEN  DRINKING  MY  MILK?"  and  the  little 
Bear  said,  "  Who's  been  drinking  my  milk  and  has 
drunk  it  all  up  ?  "  Then  they  went  upstairs  and  into 
the  bedroom,  and  the  big  Bear  said,  "  WHO'S 
BEEN  SLEEPING  IN  MY  BED?"  and  the  mid- 
dling Bear  said,  "WHO  's  BEEN  SLEEPING  IN  MY  BED?" 
and  the  little  Bear  said,  "  Who  's  been  sleeping  in  my 
bed? — and  see  here  he  is  !  "  So  then  the  Bears  came 
and  wondered  what  they  should  do  with  him ;  and 
the  big  Bear  said,  "  Let 's  hang  him  !"  and  then  the 
middling  Bear  said,  "Let's  drown  him! "and  then 
the  little  Bear  said,  "Let's  throw  him  out  of  the 
window."  And  then  the  Bears  took  him  to  the 
window,  and  the  big  Bear  took  two  legs  on  one  side 
and  the  middling  Bear  took  two  legs  on  the  other 
side,  and  they  swung  him  backwards  and  forwards, 
backwards  and  forwards,  and  out  of  the  window. 
Poor  Scrapefoot  was  so  frightened,  and  he  thought 
every  bone  in  his  body  must  be  broken.  But  he  got 
up  and  first  shook  one  leg — no,  that  was  not  broken  ; 
and  then  another,  and  that  was  not  broken ;  and 
another  and  another,  and  then  he  wagged  his  tail  and 
found  there  were  no  bones  broken.  So  then  he 
galloped  off  home  as  fast  as  he  could  go,  and  never 
went  near  the  Bears'  Castle  again. 


The  Pedlar  of  Swaffham 

IN  the  old  days  when  London  Bridge  was  lined 
with  shops  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and 
salmon  swam  under  the  arches,  there  lived  at 
Swaffham,  in  Norfolk,  a  poor  pedlar.  He  'd  much 
ado  to  make  his  living,  trudging  about  with  his  pack 
at  his  back  and  his  dog  at  his  heels,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  day's  labour  was  but  too  glad  to  sit  down  and 
sleep.  Now  it  fell  out  that  one  night  he  dreamed  a 
dream,  and  therein  he  saw  the  great  bridge  of  London 
town,  and  it  sounded  in  his  ears  that  if  he  went  there 
he  should  hear  joyful  news.  He  made  little  count  of 
the  dream,  but  on  the  following  night  it  come  back  to 
him,  and  again  on  the  third  night. 

Then  he  said  within  himself,  "  I  must  needs  try  the 
issue  of  it,"  and  so  he  trudged  up  to  London  town. 
Long  was  the  way  and  right  glad  was  he  when  he 


The  Pedlar  of  Swaffham  99 

stood  on  the  great  bridge  and  saw  the  tall  houses  on 
right  hand  and  left,  and  had  glimpses  of  the  water 
running  and  the  ships  sailing  by.  All  day  long  he 
paced  to  and  fro,  but  he  heard  nothing  that  might 
yield  him  comfort.  And  again  on  the  morrow  he 
stood  and  he  gazed  —  he  paced  afresh  the  length  of 
London  Bridge,  but  naught  did  he  see  and  naught 
did  he  hear. 

Now  the  third  day  being  come  as  he  still  stood  and 
gazed,  a  shopkeeper  hard  by  spoke  to  him. 

"  Friend,"  said  he,  "  I  wonder  much  at  your  fruit- 
less standing.  Have  you  no  wares  to  sell  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  quoth  the  pedlar. 

"  And  you  do  not  beg  for  alms." 

"  Not  so  long  as  I  can  keep  myself." 

"  Then  what,  I  pray  thee,  dost  thou  want  here,  and 
what  may  thy  business  be  ?" 

"  Well,  kind  sir,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  dreamed  that  if 
I  came  hither,  I  should  hear  good  news." 

Right  heartily  did  the  shopkeeper  laugh. 

"  Nay,  thou  must  be  a  fool  to  take  a  journey  on 
such  a  silly  errand.  I  '11  tell  thee,  poor  silly  country 
fellow,  that  I/  myself  dream  too  o'  nights,  and  that 
last  night  I  dreamt  myself  to  be  in  Swaffham,  a  place 
clean  unknown  to  me,  but  in  Norfolk  if  I  mistake 
not,  and  methought  I  was  in  an  orchard  behind  a 
pedlar's  house,  and  in  that  orchard  was  a  great  oak- 
tree.  Then  meseemed  that  if  J  digged  I  should  find 
beneath  that  tree  a  great  treasure.  But  think  you 
I  'm  such  a  fool  as  to  take  on  me  a  long  and  weari- 
some journey  and  all  for  a  silly  dream.  No,  my  good 


io6  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

fellow,  learn  wit  from  a  wiser  man  than  thyself.     Get 
thee  home,  and  mind  thy  business." 

When  the  pedlar  heard  this  he  spoke  no  word,  but 
was  exceeding  glad  in  himself,  and  returning  home 
speedily,  digged  underneath  the  great  oak-tree,  and 
found  a  prodigious  great  treasure.  He  grew  exceed- 
ing rich,  but  he  did  not  forget  his  duty  in  the  pride 
of  his  riches.  For  he  built  up  again  the  church  at 
Swaffham,  and  when  he  died  they  put  a  statue  of  him 
therein  all  in  stone  with  his  pack  at  his  back  and  his 
dog  at  his  heels.  And  there  it  stands  to  this  day  to 
witness  if  I  lie. 


The   Old   Witch 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  two  girls  who 
lived  with  their  mother  and  father.  Their 
father  had  no  work,  and  the  girls  wanted  to  go 
away  and  seek  their  fortunes.  Now  one  girl  wanted  to 
go  to  service,  and  her  mother  said  she  might  if  she 
could  find  a  place.  So  she  started  for  the  town.  Well, 
she  went  all  about  the  town,  but  no  one  wanted  a  girl 
like  her.  So  she  went  on  farther  into  the  country, 
and  she  came  to  the  place  where  there  was  an  oven 
where  there  was  lots  of  bread  baking.  And  the 
bread  said,  "  Little  girl,  little  girl,  take  us  out,  take 
us  out.  We  have  been  baking -seven  years,  and  no 
one  has  come  to  take  us  out."  So  the  girl  took 
out  the  bread,  laid  it  on  the  ground,  and  went  on  her 
way.  Then  she  met  a  cow,  and  the  cow  said, 
11  Little  girl,  little  girl,  milk  me,  milk  me  !  Seven 
years  have  I  been  waiting,  and  no  one  has  come  to 
milk  me."  The  girl  milked  the  cow  into  the  pails 
that  stood  by.  As  she  was  thirsty  she  drank  some, 
and  left  the  rest  in  the  pails  by  the  cow.  Then  she 
went  on  a  little  bit  farther,  and  came  to  an  apple 
tree,  so  loaded  with  fruit  that  its  branches  were 

101 


Mp2          -rMore  English  Fairy  Tales 

breaking  down,  and  the  tree  said,  "  Little  girl,  little 
girl,  help  me  shake  my  fruit.  My  branches  are 
breaking,  it  is  so  heavy."  And  the  girl  said,  "  Of 
course  I  will,  you  poor  tree."  So  she  shook  the  fruit 
all  off,  propped  up  the  branches,  and  left  the  fruit  on 
the  ground  under  the  tree.  Then  she  went  on  again 
till  she  came  to  a  house.  Now  in  this  house  there 
lived  a  witch,  and  this  witch  took  girls  into  her  house 
as  servants.  And  when  she  heard  that  this  girl  had 
left  her  home  to  seek  service,  she  said  that  she 
would  try  her,  and  give  her  good  wages.  The  witch 
told  the  girl  what  work  she  was  to  do.  "  You  must 
keep  the  house  clean  and  tidy,  sweep  the  floor  and 
the  fireplace  ;  but  there  is  one  thing  you  must  never 
do.  You  must  never  look  up  the  chimney,  or  some- 
thing bad  will  befall  you." 

So  the  girl  promised  to  do  as  she  was  told,  but  one 
morning  as  she  was  cleaning,  and  the  witch  was  out, 
she  forgot  what  the  witch  said,  and  looked  up  the 
chimney.  When  she  did  this  a  great  bag  of  money 
fell  down  in  her  lap.  This  happened  again  and  again. 
So  the  girl  started  to  go  off  home. 

When  she  had  gone  some  way  she  heard  the 
witch  coming  after  her.  So  she  ran  to  the  apple 
tree  and  cried : 

•  Apple-tree,  apple-tree  hide  me, 
So  the  old  witch  can't  find  me ; 
If  she  does  she  '11  pick  my  bones, 
And  bury  me  under  the  marble  stones." 

So  the  apple-tree  hid  her.  When  the  witch  came 
up  she  said : 


Taee  o?MiNe-iR.€€ 
HAVC  YOU  secN  A  QFRL 

W'lTH  A  W1LLYWILLY  WAQ* AND  A  UONQ TAILED 

WHO  sroLC  MYMONSY  ALL  I  HAD? 


104  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Tree  of  mine,  tree  of  mine, 
Have  you  seen  a  girl 

With  a  willy-willy  wag,  and  a  long-tailed  bag, 
Who  's  stole  my  money,  all  I  had  ?  " 

And  the  apple-tree  said,"  No,  mother;  not  for  seven 
year." 

When  the  witch  had  gone  down  another  way,  the 
girl  went  on  again,  and  just  as  she  got  to  the  cow 
heard  the  witch  coming  after  her  again,  so  she  ran  to 
the  cow  and  cried  : 

"  Cow,  cow,  hide  me, 
So  the  old  witch  can't  find  me ; 
If  she  does  she  '11  pick  my  bones, 
And  bury  me  under  the  marble  stones." 

So  the  cow  hid  her. 

When  the  old  witch  came  up,  she  looked  about  and 
said  to  the  cow  : 

"Cow  of  mine,  cow  of  mine, 
Have  you  seen  a  girl 

With  a  willy-willy  wag,  and  a  long-tailed  bag, 
Who  's  stole  my  money,  all  I  had  ?  " 

And  the  cow  said,  "  No,  mother,  not  for  seven 
year." 

When  the  witch  had  gone  off  another  way,  the 
little  girl  went  on  again,  and  when  she  was  near  the 
oven  she  heard  the  witch  coming  after  her  again,  so 
she  ran  to  the  oven  and  cried  : 

"  Oven,  oven,  hide  me, 
So  the  old  witch  can't  find  me ; 
If  she  does  she  '11  break  my  bones, 
And  bury  me  under  the  marble  stones." 


The  Old  Witch  105 

And  the  oven  said,  "  I  've  no  room,  ask  the  baker." 
and  the  baker  hid  her  behind  the  oven. 

When  the  witch  came  up  she  looked  here  and  there 
and  everywhere,  and  then  said  to  the  baker : 

"  Man  of  mine,  man  of  mine, 
Have  you  seen  a  girl, 

With  a  willy-willy  wag,  and  a  long-tailed  bag, 
Who  's  stole  my  money,  all  I  had  ?  " 

So  the  baker  said,  "  Look  in  the  oven."  The  old 
witch  went  to  look,  and  the  oven  said,  "  Get  in  and 
look  in  the  furthest  corner."  The  witch  did  so,  and 
when  she  was  inside  the  oven  shut  her  door,  and  the 
witch  was  kept  there  for  a  very  long  time. 

The  girl  then  went  off  again,  and  reached  her  home 
with  her  money  bags,  married  a  rich  man,  and  lived 
happy  ever  afterwards. 

The  other  sister  then  thought  she  would  go  and  do 
the  same.  And  she  went  the  same  way.  But  when 
she  reached  the  oven,  and  the  bread  said,  "  Little 
girl,  little  girl,  take  us  out.  Seven  years  have  we 
been  baking,  and  no  one  has  come  to  take  us  out," 
the  girl  said,  "  No,  I  don't  want  to  burn  my  fingers." 
So  she  went  on  till  she  met  the  cow,  and  the  cow 
said,  "  Little  girl,  little  girl,  milk  me,  milk  me,  do. 
Seven  years  have  I  been  waiting,  and  no  one  has 
come  to  milk  me."  But  the  girl  said,  "  No,  I  can't 
milk  you,  I  'm  in  a  hurry,"  and  went  on  faster.  Then 
she  came  to  the  apple-tree,  and  the  apple-tree  asked 
her  to  help  shake  the  fruit.  No,  I  can't ;  another 
day  p'raps  I  may,"  and  went  on  till  she  came  to  the 


io6  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

witch's  house.  Well,  it  happened  to  her  just  the  same 
as  to  the  other  girl — she  forgot  what  she  was  told, 
and  one  day  when  the  witch  was  out,  looked  up  the 
chimney,  and  down  fell  a  bag  of  money.  Well,  she 
thought  she  would  be  off  at  once.  When  she  reached 
the  apple-tree,  she  heard  the  witch  coming  after  her, 
and  she  cried  : 

"  Apple-tree,  apple-tree,  hide  me, 
So  the  old  witch  can't  find  me; 
If  she  does  she'll  break  my  bones, 
And  bury  me  under  the  marble  stones." 

But  the  tree  did  n't  answer,  and  she  ran  on  further. 
Presently  the  witch  came  up  and  said  : 

"  Tree  of  mine,  tree  of  mine, 
Have  you  seen  a  girl, 

With  a  willy-willy  wag,  and  a  long-tailed  bag, 
Who  's  stole  my  money,  all  I  had  ?  " 

The  tree  said,  "  Yes,  mother ;  she 's  gone  down  that 
way." 

So  the  old  witch  went  after  her  and  caught  her,  she 
took  all  the  money  away  from  her,  beat  her,  and  sent 
her  off  home  just  as  she  was. 


The  Three  Wishes 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  and  be  sure  'twas  a  long 
time  ago,  there  lived  a  poor  woodman  in  a 
great  forest,  and  every  day  of  his  life  he 
went  out  to  fell  timber.  So  one  day  he  started  out, 
and  the  goodwife  filled  his  wallet  and  slung  his  bottle 
on  his  back,  that  he  might  have  meat  and  drink  in 
the  forest.  He  had  marked  out  a  huge  old  oak, 
which,  thought  he,  would  furnish  many  and  many  a 
good  plank.  And  when  he  was  come  to  it,  he  took 
his  axe  in  his  hand  and  swung  it  round  his  head  as 
though  he  were  minded  to  fell  the  tree  at  one  stroke. 
But  he  had  n't  given  one  blow,  when  what  should  he 
hear  but  the  pitifullest  entreating,  and  there  stood 
before  him  a  fairy  who  prayed  and  beseeched  him  to 
spare  the  tree.  He  was  dazed,  as  you  may  fancy, 

TO* 


io8  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

with  wonderment  and  affright,  and  he  could  n't  open 
his  mouth  to  utter  a  word.  But  he  found  his  tongue 
at  last,  and,  "  Weil,"  said  he,  "  I  '11  e'en  do  as  thou 
wishest." 

"  You  Ve  done  better  for  yourself  than  you  know," 
answered  the  fairy,  "  and  to  show  I  'm  not  ungrateful, 
I  '11  grant  you  your  next  three  wishes,  be  they  what 
they  may."  And  therewith  the  fairy  was  no  more  to 
be  seen,  and  the  woodman  slung  his  wallet  over  his 
shoulder  and  his  bottle  at  his  side,  and  off  he  started 
home. 

But  the  way  was  long,  and  the  poor  man  was  regu- 
larly dazed  with  the  wonderful  thing  that  had  befallen 
him,  and  when  he  got  home  there  was  nothing  in  his 
noddle  but  the  wish  to  sit  down  and  rest.  Maybe, 
too,  't  was  a  trick  of  the  fairy's.  Who  can  tell  ?  Any- 
how down  he  sat  by  the  blazing  fire,  and  as  he  sat 
he  waxed  hungry,  though  it  was  a  long  way  off  sup- 
per-time yet. 

"  Has  n't  thou  naught  for  supper,  dame  ?  "  said  he 
to  his  wife. 

"  Nay,  not  for  a  couple  of  hours  yet,"  said  she. 

"Ah  ! "  groaned  the  woodman,  "  I  wish  I  'd  a  good 
link  of  black  pudding  here  before  me." 

No  sooner  had  he  said  the  word,  when  clatter,  clat- 
ter, rustle,  rustle,  what  should  come  down  the  chimney 
but  a  link  of  the  finest  black  pudding  the  heart  of  man 
could  wish  for. 

If  the  woodman  stared,  the  goodwife  stared  three 
times  as  much.  "  What 's  all  this  ?  "  says  she. 

Then  all  the  morning's  work  came   back  to  the 


The  Three  Wishes  109 

woodman,  and  he  told  his  tale  right  out,  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  and  as  he  told  it  the  goodwife  glowered 
and  glowered,  and  when  he  had  made  an  end  of  it 
she  burst  out,  "  Thou  bee'st  but  a  fool,  Jan,  thou 
bee'st  but  a  fool ;  and  I  wish  the  pudding  were  at  thy 
nose,  I  do  indeed." 

And  before  you  could  say  Jack  Robinson,  there  the 
goodman  sat  and  his  nose  was  the  longer  for  a  noble 
link  of  black  pudding. 

He  gave  a  pull  but  it  stuck,  and  she  gave  a  pull 
but  it  stuck,  and  they  both  pulled  till  they  had  nigh 
pulled  the  nose  off,  but  it  stuck  and  stuck. 

"  What 's  to  be  done  now  ?  "  said  he. 

"  'T  is  n't  so  very  unsightly,"  said  she,  looking  hard 
at  him. 

Then  the  woodman  saw  that  if  he  wished,  he  must 
need  wish  in  a  hurry ;  and  wish  he  did,  that  the  black 
pudding  might  come  off  his  nose.  Well !  there  it  lay 
in  a  dish  on  the  table,  and  if  the  goodman  and  good- 
wife  did  n't  ride  in  a  golden  coach,  or  dress  in  silk 
and  satin,  why,  they  had  at  least  as  fine  a  black  pud- 
ding for  their  supper  as  the  heart  of  man  could  desire. 


The  Buried  Moon 

LONG  ago,  in  my  grandmother's  time,  the  Car- 
land  was  all  in  bogs,  great  pools  of  black 
water,  and  creeping  trickles  of  green  water, 
and  squishy  mools  which  squirted  when  you  stepped 
on  them. 

Well,  granny  used  to  say  how  long  before  her  time 
the  Moon  herself  was  once  dead  and  buried  in  the 
marshes,  and  as  she  used  to  tell  me,  I  '11  tell  you  all 
about  it. 

The  Moon  up  yonder  shone  and  shone,  just  as  she 
does  now,  and  when  she  shone  she  lighted  up  the  bog- 
pools,  so  that  one  could  walk  about  almost  as  safe  as 
in  the  day. 

But  when  she  did  n't  shine,  out  came  the  Things 
that  dwelt  in  the  darkness  and  went  about  seeking  to 
do  evil  and  harm ;  Bogles  and  Crawling  Horrors,  all 
came  out  when  the  Moon  did  n't  shine. 

Well,  the  Moon  heard  of  this,  and  being  kind  and 
good  —  as  she  surely  is,  shining  for  us  in  the  night 
instead  of  taking  her  natural  rest  —  she  was  main 
troubled.  "  I  '11  see  for  myself,  I  will,"  said  she, 
"  maybe  it 's  not  so  bad  as  folks  make  out." 

HO' 


The  Buried  Moon  in 

Sure  enough,  at  the  month's  end  down  she  stept, 
wrapped  up  in  a  black  cloak,  and  a  black  hood  over 
her  yellow  shining  hair.  Straight  she  went  to  the 
bog  edge  and  looked  about  her.  Water  here  and 
water  there ;  waving  tussocks  and  trembling  mools, 
and  great  black  snags  all  twisted  and  bent.  Before 
her  all  was  dark — dark  but  for  the  glimmer  of  the 
stars  in  the  pools,  and  the  light  that  came  from  her 
own  white  feet,  stealing  out  of  her  black  cloak. 

The  Moon  drew  her  cloak  faster  about  and  trern. 
bled,  but  .she  would  n't  go  back  without  seeing  all 
there  was  to  be  seen ;  so  on  she  went,  stepping  as 
light  as  the  wind  in  summer  from  tuft  to  tuft  between 
the  greedy  gurgling  water  holes.  Just  as  she  came 
near  a  big  black  pool  her  foot  slipped  and  she  was 
nigh  tumbling  in.  She  grabbed  with  both  hands  at  a 
snag  near  by  to  steady  herself  with,  but  as  she  touched 
it,  it  twined  itself  round  her  wrists,  like  a  pair  of 
handcuffs,  and  gript  her  so  that  she  could  n't  move. 
She  pulled  and  twisted  and  fought,  but  it  was  no 
good.  She  was  fast,  and  must  stay  fast. 

Presently  as  she  stood  trembling  in  the  dark,  won- 
dering if  help  would  come,  she  heard  something  call- 
ing in  the  distance,  calling,  calling,  and  then  dying 
away  with  a  sob,  till  the  marshes  were  full  of  this 
pitiful  crying  sound  ;  then  she  heard  steps  flounder- 
ing along,  squishing  in  the  mud  and  slipping  on  the 
tufts,  and  through  the  darkness  she  saw  a  white  face 
with  great  feared  eyes. 

T  was  a  man  strayed  in  the  bogs.  Mazed  with  fear 
he  struggled  on  toward  the  flickering  light  that  looked 


H2  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

like  help  and  safety.  And  when  the  poor  Moon  saw 
that  he  was  coming  nigher  and  nigher  to  the  deep 
hole,  further  and  further  from  the  path,  she  was  so 
mad  and  so  sorry  that  she  struggled  and  fought  and 
pulled  harder  than  ever.  And  though  she  could  n't 
get  loose,  she  twisted  and  turned,  till  her  black  hood 
fell  back  off  her  shining  yellow  hair,  and  the  beautiful 
light  that  came  from  it  drove  away  the  darkness. 


Oh,  but  the  man  cried  with  joy  to  see  the  light 
again.  And  at  once  all  evil  things  fled  back  into  the 
dark  corners,  for  they  cannot  abide  the  light.  So  he 
could  see  where  he  was,  and  where  the  path  was,  and 
how  he  could  get  out  of  the  marsh.  And  he  was  in 
such  haste  to  get  away  from  the  Quicks,  and  Bogles, 


The  Buried  Moon  113 

and  Things  that  dwelt  there,  that  he  scarce  looked  at 
the  brave  light  that  came  from  the  beautiful  shining 
yellow  hair,  streaming  out  over  the  black  cloak  and 
falling  to  the  water  at  his  feet.  And  the  Moon  her- 
self was  so  taken  up  with  saving  him,  and  with  re- 
joicing that  he  was  back  on  the  right  path,  that  she 
clean  forgot  that  she  needed  help  herself,  and  that  she 
was  held  fast  by  the  Black  Snag. 

So  off  he  went ;  spent  and  gasping,  and  stumbling 
and  sobbing  with  joy,  flying  for  his  life  out  of  the 
terrible  bogs.  Then  it  came  over  the  Moon,  she 
would  main  like  to  go  with  him.  So  she  pulled 
and  fought  as  if  she  were  mad,  till  she  fell  on  her 
knees,  spent  with  tugging,  at  the  foot  of  the  snag. 
And  as  she  lay  there,  gasping  for  breath,  the  black 
hood  fell  forward  over  her  head.  So  out  went 
the  blessed  light  and  back  came  the  darkness,  with 
all  its  Evil  Things,  with  a  screech  and  a  howl. 
They  came  crowding  round  her,  mocking  and  snatch- 
ing and  beating ;  shrieking  with  rage  and  spite, 
and  swearing  and  snarling,  for  they  knew  her  for 
their  old  enemy,  that  drove  them  back  into  the 
corners,  and  kept  them  from  working  their  wicked 
wills. 

"  Drat  thee  ! "  yelled  the  witch-bodies,  "  thou  'st 
spoiled  our  spells  this  year  agone  ! " 

"And  us  thou  sent'st  to  brood  in  the  corners!" 
howled  the  Bogles. 

And  all  the  Things  joined  in  with  a  great  "  Ho, 
ho ! "  till  the  very  tussocks  shook  and  the  water 
gurgled.  And  they  began  again. 


ii4  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  We  '11  poison  her — poison  her  ! "  shrieked  the 
witches. 

And  "  Ho,  ho !"  howled  the  Things  again. 

"  We  '11  smother  her — smother  her  ! "  whispered  the 
Crawling  Horrors,  and  twined  themselves  round  her 
knees. 

And  "  Ho,  ho !"  mocked  the  rest  of  them. 

And  again  they  all  shouted  with  spite  and  ill-will. 
And  the  poor  Moon  crouched  down,  and  wished  she 
was  dead  and  done  with. 

And  they  fought  and  squabbled  what  they  should 
do  with  her,  till  a  pale  grey  light  began  to  come  in 
the  sky  ;  and  it  drew  nigh  the  dawning.  And  when 
they  saw  that,  they  were  feared  lest  they  should  n't 
have  time  to  work  their  will ;  and  they  caught  hold 
of  her,  with  horrid  bony  fingers,  and  laid  her  deep  in 
the  water  at  the  foot  of  the  snag.  And  the  Bogles 
fetched  a  strange  big  stone  and  rolled  it  on  top  of 
her,  to  keep  her  from  rising.  And  they  told  two  of 
the  Will-o-the-wykes  to  take  turns  in  watching  on  the 
black  snag,  to  see  that  she  lay  safe  and  still,  and 
could  n't  get  out  to  spoil  their  sport. 

And  there  lay  the  poor  Moon,  dead  and  buried  in 
the  bog,  till  some  one  would  set  her  loose  ;  and  who  'd 
know  where  to  look  for  her. 

Well,  the  days  passed,  and  't  was  the  time  for  the 
new  moon's  coming,  and  the  folk  put  pennies  in  their 
pockets  and  straws  in  their  caps  so  as  to  be  ready  for 
her,  and  looked  about,  for  the  Moon  was  a  good 
friend  to  the  marsh  folk,  and  they  were  main  glad 
when  the  dark  time  was  gone,  and  the  paths  were 


The  Buried  Moon  115 

safe  again,  and  the  Evil  Things  were  driven  back 
by  the  blessed  Light  into  the  darkness  and  the  water- 
holes. 

But  days  and  days  passed,  and  the  new  Moon 
never  came,  and  the  nights  were  aye  dark,  and  the 
Evil  Things  were  worse  than  ever.  And  still  the  days 
went  on,  and  the  new  Moon  never  came.  Naturally 
the  poor  folk  were  strangely  feared  and  mazed,  and 
a  lot  of  them  went  to  the  Wise  Woman  who  dwelt 
in  the  old  mill,  and  asked  if  so  be  she  could  find  out 
where  the  Moon  was  gone. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  after  looking  in  the  brewpot, 
and  in  the  mirror,  and  in  the  Book,  "  it  be  main 
queer,  but  I  can  't  rightly  tell  ye  what 's  happened  to 
her.  If  ye  hear  of  aught,  come  and  tell  me." 

So  they  went  their  ways ;  and  as  days  went  by, 
and  never  a  Moon  came,  naturally  they  talked — my 
word  !  I  reckon  they  did  talk  !  their  tongues  wagged 
at  home,  and  at  the  inn,  and  in  the  garth.  But  so 
came  one  day,  as  they  sat  on  the  great  settle  in  the 
Inn,  a  man  from  the  far  end  of  the  bog  lands  was 
smoking  and  listening,  when  all  at  once  he  sat  up  and 
slapped  his  knee.  "  My  faicks  !  "  says  he,  "  I  'd  clean 
forgot,  but  I  reckon  I  kens  where  the  Moon  be ! " 
and  he  told  them  of  how  he  was  lost  in  the  bogs, 
and  how,  when  he  was  nigh  dead  with  fright,  the 
light  shone  out,  and  he  found  the  path  and  got 
home  safe. 

So  off  they  all  went  to  the  Wise  Woman,  and  told 
her  about  it,  and  she  looked  long  in  the  pot  and  the 
Book  again,  and  then  she  nodded  her  head. 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"It's  dark  still,  childer,  dark!"  says  she,  "  and  I 
can't  rightly  see,  but  do  as  I  tell  ye,  and  ye  '11  find  out 
for  yourselves.  Go  all  of  ye,  just  afore  the  night 
gathers,  put  a  stone  in  your  mouth,  and  take  a  hazel- 
twig  in  your  hands,  and  say  never  a  word  till  you  're 
safe  home  again.  Then  walk  on  and  fear  not,  far 
into  the  midst  of  the  marsh,  till  ye  find  a  coffin,  a 
candle,  and  a  cross.  Then  ye  '11  not  be  far  from  your 
Moon  ;  look,  and  m'appen  ye  '11  find  her." 

So  came  the  next  night  in  the  darklings,  out  they 
went  all  together,  every  man  with  a  stone  in  his 
mouth,  and  a  hazel-twig  in  his  hand,  and  feeling, 
thou  may'st  reckon,  main  feared  and  creepy.  And 
they  stumbled  and  stottered  along  the  paths  into  the 
midst  of  the  bogs  ;  they  saw  nought,  though  they 
heard  sighings  and  flutterings  in  their  ears,  and  felt 
cold  wet  fingers  touching  them  ;  but  all  at  once, 
looking  around  for  the  coffin,  the  candle,  and  the 
cross,  while  they  came  nigh  to  the  pool  beside  the 
great  snag,  where  the  Moon  lay  buried.  And  all  at 
once  they  stopped,  quaking  and  mazed  and  skeery, 
for  there  was  the  great  stone,  half  in,  half  out  of  the 
water,  for  all  the  world  like  a  strange  big  coffin ;  and 
at  the  head  was  the  black  snag,  stretching  out  its 
two  arms  in  a  dark  gruesome  cross,  and  on  it  a  tiddy 
light  flickered,  like  a  dying  candle.  And  they  all 
knelt  down  in  the  mud,  and  said,  "  Our  Lord,  first 
forward,  because  of  the  cross,  and  then  backward,  to 
keep  off  the  Bogles  ;  but  without  speaking  out,  for 
they  knew  that  the  Evil  Things  would  catch  them,  if 
they  did  n't  do  as  the  Wise  Woman  told  them. 


The  Buried  Moon  117 

Then  they  went  nigher,  and  took  hold  of  the  big 
stone,  and  shoved  it  up,  and  afterwards  they  said 
that  for  one  tiddy  minute  they  saw  a  strange  and 
beautiful  face  looking  up  at  them  glad-like  out  of  the 
black  water  ;  but  the  Light  came  so  quick  and  so 
white  and  shining,  that  they  stept  back  mazed  with 
it,  and  the  very  next  minute,  when  they  could  see 
again,  there  was  the  full  Moon  in  the  sky,  bright  and 
beautiful  and  kind  as  ever,  shining  and  smiling  down 
at  them,  and  making  the  bogs  and  the  paths  as  clear 
as  day,  and  stealing  into  the  very  corners,  as  though 
she  'd  have  driven  the  darkness  and  the  Bogles  clean 
away  if  she  could. 


A  Son  of  Adam 

A  MAN  was  one  day  working.  It  was  very  hot, 
and  he  was  digging.  By-and-by  he  stopped 
to  rest  and  wipe  his  face ;  and  he  was  very 
angry  to  think  he  had  to  work  so  hard  only  because 
of  Adam's  sin.  So  he  complained  bitterly,  and  said 
some  very  hard  words  about  Adam. 

It  happened  that  his  master  heard  him,  and  he 
asked,  "  Why  do  you  blame  Adam  ?  You  'd  ha'  done 
just  like  Adam,  if  you  'd  a-been  in  his  place." 

"  No,  I  should  n't,"  said  the  man  ;  "  I  should  ha' 
know'd  better." 

"  Well,  I  '11  try  you,"  says  his  master ;  "  come  to  me 
at  dinner-time." 

So  come  dinner-time,  the  man  came,  and  his  master 
took  him  into  a  room  where  the  table  was  a-set  with 
good  things  of  all  sorts.  And  he  said  :  "  Now,  you 
can  eat  as  much  as  ever  you  like  from  any  of  the 
dishes  on  the  table ;  but  don't  touch  the  covered  dish 
in  the  middle  till  I  come  back."  And  with  that  the 
master  went  out  of  the  room  and  left  the  man  there 
all  by  himself. 

So  the  man  sat  down  and  helped  himself,  and  ate 


A  Son  of  Adam  119 

some  o'  this  dish  and  some  o'  that,  and  enjoyed  him- 
self finely.  But  after  awhile,  as  his  master  did  n't 
come  back,  he  began  to  look  at  the  covered  dish,  and 
to  wonder  whatever  was  in  it.  And  he  wondered 
more  and  more,  and  he  says  to  himself,  "  It  must  be 
something  very  nice.  Why  should  n't  I  just  look  at 
it  ?  I  won't  touch  it.  There  can't  be  any  harm  in 
just  peeping."  So  at  last  he  could  hold  back  no 
longer,  and  he  lifted  up  the  cover  a  tiny  bit ;  but  he 
could  n't  see  anything.  Then  he  lifted  it  up  a  bit 
more,  and  out  popped  a  mouse.  The  man  tried  to 
catch  it ;  but  it  ran  away  and  jumped  off  the  table  and 
he  ran  after  it.  It  ran  first  into  one  corner,  and  then, 
just  as  he  thought  he  'd  got  it,  into  another,  and  under 
the  table,  and  all  about  the  room.  And  the  man 
made  such  a  clatter,  jumping  and  banging  and  run- 
ning round  after  the  mouse,  a-trying  to  catch  it,  that 
at  last  his  master  came  in. 

"  Ah  ! "  he  said ;  "  never  you  blame  Adam  again, 
my  man ! " 

• 


The  Children  in  the  Wood 

NOW  ponder  well,  you  parents  dear, 
These  words  which  I  shall  write ; 
A  doleful  story  you  shall  hear, 

In  time  brought  forth  to  light. 
A  gentleman  of  good  account, 

In  Norfolk  dwelt  of  late, 
Who  did  in  honour  far  surmount 
Most  men  of  his  estate. 

Sore  sick  he  was  and  like  to  die, 

No  help  his  life  could  save ; 
His  wife  by  him  as  sick  did  lie, 

And  both  possest  one  grave. 
No  love  between  these  two  was  lost, 

Each  was  to  other  kind ; 
In  love  they  lived,  in  love  they  died, 

And  left  two  babes  behind. 

The  one  a  fine  and  pretty  boy 

Not  passing  three  years  old, 
The  other  a  girl  more  young  than  he, 

And  framed  in  beauty's  mould 


120 


The  Children  in  the  Wood  121 

The  father  left  his  little  son, 

As  plainly  did  appear, 
When  he  to  perfect  age  should  come, 

Three  hundred  pounds  a  year ; 

And  to  his  little  daughter  Jane 

Five  hundred  pounds  in  gold, 
To  be  paid  down  on  marriage-day, 

Which  might  not  be  controlled. 
But  if  the  children  chanced  to  die 

Ere  they  to  age  should  come, 
Their  uncle  should  possess  their  wealth ; 

For  so  the  will  did  run. 

"  Now,  brother,"  said  the  dying  man, 

"  Look  to  my  children  dear  ; 
Be  good  unto  my  boy  and  girl, 

No  friends  else  have  they  here ; 
To  God  and  you  I  recommend 

My  children  dear  this  day  ; 
But  little  while  be  sure  we  have 

Within  this  world  to  stay. 

"  You  must  be  father  and  mother  both, 

And  uncle,  all  in  one  ; 
God  knows  what  will  become  of  them 

When  I  am  dead  and  gone." 
With  that  bespake  their  mother  dear  : 

"  O  brother  kind,"  quoth  she, 
"  You  are  the  man  must  bring  our  babes 

To  wealth  or  misery. 


122  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

*'  And  if  you  keep  them  carefully, 

Then  God  will  you  reward ; 
But  if  you  otherwise  should  deal, 

God  will  your  deeds  regard." 
With  lips  as  cold  as  any  stone, 

They  kissed  their  children  small : 
"  God  bless  you  both,  my  children  dear ! " 

With  that  the  tears  did  fall. 

These  speeches  then  their  brother  spake 

To  this  sick  couple  there  : 
"  The  keeping  of  your  little  ones, 

Sweet  sister,  do  not  fear ; 
God  never  prosper  me  nor  mine, 

Nor  aught  else  that  I  have, 
If  I  do  wrong  your  children  dear 

When  you  are  laid  in  grave  ! " 

The  parents  being  dead  and  gone, 

The  children  home  he  takes, 
And  brings  them  straight  unto  his  house 

Where  much  of  them  he  makes. 
He  had  not  kept  these  pretty  babes 

A  twelvemonth  and  a  day, 
But,  for  their  wealth,  he  did  devise 

To  make  them  both  away. 

He  bargained  with  two  ruffians  strong, 

Which  were  of  furious  mood, 
That  they  should  take  these  children  young, 

And  slay  them  in  a  wood. 


The  Children  in  the  Wood 

He  told  his  wife  an  artful  tale 
He  would  the  children  send 

To  be  brought  up  in  London  town 
With  one  that  was  his  friend. 


123 


Away  then  went  those  pretty  babes, 

Rejoicing  at  that  tide, 
Rejoicing  with  a  merry  mind 

They  should  on  cock-horse  ride. 
They  prate  and  prattle  pleasantly, 

As  they  ride  on  the  way, 


124  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

To  those  that  should  their  butchers  be 
And  work  their  lives'  decay  : 


So  that  the  pretty  speech  they  had 

Made  Murder's  heart  relent ; 
And  they  that  undertook  the  deed 

Full  sore  now  did  repent. 
Yet  one  of  them,  more  hard  of  heart, 

Did  vow  to  do  his  charge, 
Because  the  wretch  that  hired  him 

Had  paid  him  very  large. 

The  other  won't  agree  thereto, 

So  there  they  fall  to  strife ; 
With  one  another  they  did  fight 

About  the  children's  life  ; 
And  he  that  was  of  mildest  mood 

Did  slay  the  other  there, 
Within  an  unfrequented  wood ; 

The  babes  did  quake  for  fear ! 

He  took  the  children  by  the  hand, 

Tears  standing  in  their  eye, 
And  bade  them  straightway  follow  him, 

And  look  they  did  not  cry ; 
And  two  long  miles  he  led  them  on, 

While  they  for  food  complain : 
*  Stay  here,"  quoth  he,  "  I  '11  bring  you  bread, 

When  I  come  back  again." 


The  Children  in  the  Wood  125 

These  pretty  babes,  with  hand  in  hand, 

Went  wandering  up  and  down ; 
But  never  more  could  see  the  man 

Approaching  from  the  town. 
Their  pretty  lips  with  blackberries 

Were  all  besmeared  and  dyed ; 
And  when  they  saw  the  darksome  night, 

They  sat  them  down  and  cried. 

Thus  wandered  these  poor  innocents, 

Till  death  did  end  their  grief; 
In  one  another's  arms  they  died, 

As  wanting  due  relief  : 
No  burial  this  pretty  pair 

From  any  man  receives, 
Till  Robin  Redbreast  piously 

Did  cover  them  with  leaves. 

And  now  the  heavy  wrath  of  God 

Upon  their  uncle  fell ; 
Yea,  fearful  fiends  did  haunt  his  house, 

His  conscience  felt  an  hell: 
His  barns  were  fired,  his  goods  consumed, 

His  lands  were  barren  made, 
His  cattle  died  within  the  field, 

And  nothing  with  him  stayed. 

And  in  a  voyage  to  Portugal 

Two  of  his  sons  did  die ; 
And  to  conclude,  himself  was  brought 

To  want  and  misery : 


126  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

He  pawned  and  mortgaged  all  his  land 
Ere  seven  years  came  about. 

And  now  at  last  this  wicked  act 
Did  by  this  means  come  out, 

The  fellow  that  did  take  in  hand 

These  children  for  to  kill, 
Was  for  a  robbery  judged  to  die, 

Such  was  God's  blessed  will : 
Who  did  confess  the  very  truth, 

As  here  hath  been  displayed : 
The  uncle  having  died  in  jail, 

Where  he  for  debt  was  laid. 

You  that  executors  be  made, 

And  overseers  eke, 
Of  children  -that  be  fatherless, 

And  infants  mild  and  meek, 
Take  you  example  by  this  thing, 

And  yield  to  each  his  right, 
Lest  God  with  suchlike  misery    i% 

Your  wicked  minds  requite. 


The  Hobyahs 


ONCE  there  was  an  old  man  and  woman  and  a 
little  girl,  and  they  all  lived  in  a  house  made 
of  hempstalks.    Now  the  old  man  had  a  little 
dog  named  Turpie  ;  and  one  night  the  Hobyahs  came 
and  said",  "  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !     Tear  down 
the  hempstalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and 
carry  off  the  little  girl !  "    But  little  dog  Turpie  barked 


so  that  the  Hobyahs  ran  off;  and  the  old  man  said, 
"  Little  dog  Turpie  barks  so  that  I  cannot  sleep  nor 


128  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

slumber,  and  if  I  live  till  morning  I  will  cut  off  his 
tail."  So  in  the  morning  the  old  man  cut  off  little 
dog  Turpie's  tail. 

The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 


"  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Tear  down  the  hemp- 
stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  carry  off 
the  little  girl ! "  But  little  dog  Turpie  barked  so  that 
the  Hobyahs  ran  off ;  and 
the  old  man  said,  "  Little 
dog  Turpie  barks  so  that 
I  cannot  sleep  nor  slum- 
ber, and  if  I  live  till  morn- 
ing I  will  cut  off  one  of 
his  legs."  So  in  the  morning  the  old  man  cut  off  one 
of  little  dog  Turpie's  legs. 

The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 


The  Hobyahs 


129 


4  Hobyah !  Hobyah  !  Hobyah !  Tear  down  the  hemp- 
stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  carry  off 
the  little  girl ! "  But  little  dog  Turpie  barked  so  that 
the  Hobyahs  ran  off;  and  the  old  man  said,  "Little 

dog  Turpie  barks  so  that 
I  cannot  sleep  nor  slum- 
ber, and  if  I  live  till  morn- 
ing I  will  cut  off  another 
of  his  legs."  So  in  the 
morning  the  old  man  cut 
off  another  of  little  dog  Turpie's  legs. 

The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 
"  Hobyah!  Hobyah!  Hobyah!    Tear  down  the  hemp- 


stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  carry  off 

the  little  girl ! "  But  little  dog  Turpie  barked  so  that 

the  Hobyahs  ran  off;  and 
the  old  man  said,  "  Little 
dog  Turpie  barks  so  that 
I  cannot  sleep  nor  slum- 
ber, and  if  I  live  till  morn- 
ing I  will  cut  off  another 

of  bis  legs."     So  in  the  morning  the  old  man  cut  off 

another  of  little  dog  Turpie's  legs. 


130 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 
Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !    Tear  down  the  hemp- 


stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and.  woman,  and  carry  off 
the  little  girl  I "    But  little  dog   Turpie   barked   so 

that    the     Hobyahs    ran 
off ;     and    the   old    man 
said,   "  Little  dog  Turpie 
barks    so    that    I    cannot 
sleep  nor  slumber,  and  if 
I  live  till  morning  I  will 
cut  off  another  of  his  legs."     So  in  the  morning  the 
old  man  cut  off  another  of  little  dog  Turpie's  legs. 
The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 


"  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  !  Tear  down  the  hemp- 
stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  carry  off 
the  little  girl ! "  But  little  dog  Turpie  barked  so 


The  Hobyahs  131 

that  the  Hobyahs  ran  off;   and  the  old  man  said, 

1  Little  dog  Turpie  barks 
so  that  I  cannot  sleep  nor 
slumber,  and  if  I  live  till 
morning  I  will  cut  off  lit- 
tle dog  Turpie's  head." 
So  in  the  morning  the 
old  man  cut  off  little  dog  Turpie's  head. 

The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  came  again,  and  said, 


"  Hobyah  !  Hobyah  f  Hobyah  !  Tear  down  the  hemp- 
stalks,  eat  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  carry  off 
the  little  girl  !"  And  when  the  Hobyahs  found  that 


little  dog  Turpie's  head  was  off  they  tore  down  the 


132 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


hempstalks,  ate  up  the  old  man  and  woman,  and  car- 
ried the  little  girl  off  in  a  bag. 

And  when  the  Hobyahs  came  to  their  home  they 
hung  up  the  bag  with  the  little  girl  in  it,  and  every  Hob- 
yah  knocked  on  the  top  of  the  bag  and  said,  "  Look 
me  !  look  me  ! "  And  then  they  went  to  sleep  until 
the  next  night,  for  the  Hobyahs  slept  in  the  daytime. 


The  little  girl  cried  a  great  deal,  and  a  man  with  a 
big  dog  came  that  way  and  heard  her  crying.  When 
he  asked  her  how  she  came  there  and  she  told  him, 
he  put  the  dog  in  the  bag  and  took  the  little  girl  to 
his  home. 


The  Hobyahs 


The  next  night  the  Hobyahs  took  down  the  bag 
and  knocked  on  the  top  of  it,  and  said  "  Look  me ! 
look  me  ! "  and  when  they  opened  the  bag 


the  big  dog  jumped 
out  and  ate  them 
all  up ;  so  there  are 
no  Hobyahs  now. 


A  Pottle  o'  Brains 

ONCE  in  these  parts,  and  not  so  long  gone 
neither,  there  was  a  fool  that  wanted  to  buy 
a  pottle  o'  brains,  for  he  was  ever  getting 
into    scrapes    through    his    foolishness,    and    being 
laughed  at  by  every  one.      Folk  told  him  that  he 
could  get  everything  he  liked  from  the  wise  woman 
that  lived  on  the  top  o'  the  hill,  and  dealt  in  potions 
and  herbs  and  spells  and  things,  and  could  tell  thee 
all  as  'd  come  to  thee  or  thy  folk. 
So  he  told  his  mother,  and  asked 
her  if  he  could  seek  the  wise  woman 
and  buy  a  pottle  o'  brains. 

"  That  ye  should,"  says  she ; 
'*  thou  'st  sore  need  o'  them,  my  son  : 
and  if  I  should  die,  who  'd  take  care  o'  a  poor  fool 
such 's  thou,  no  more  fit  to  look  after  thyself  than  an 
unborn  baby  ?  but  mind  thy  manners,  and  speak  her 
pretty,  my  lad  ;  for  they  wise  folk  are  gey  and  light 
mispleased." 

So  off  he  went  after  his  tea,  and  there  she  was, 
sitting  by  the  fire,  and  stirring  a  big  pot. 

"  Good  e'en,  missis,"  says  he,  "  it  's  a  fine  night." 

134 


A  Pottle  o'  Brains  135 

"  Aye,"  says  she,  and  went  on  stirring. 

"  It  '11  maybe  rain,"  says  he,  and  fidgeted  from  one 
foot  to  t'  other. 

"  Maybe,"  says  she. 

"  And  m'  appen  it  won't,"  says  he,  and  looked  out 
o'  the  window. 

"  M'appen,"  says  she. 

And  he  scratched  his  head  and  twisted  his  hat 

"Well,"  says  he,  "I  can't  mind  nothing  else 
about  the  weather,  but  let  me  see  ;  the  crops  are 
getting  on  fine." 

"  Fine,"  says  she. 

"  And — and — the  beasts  is  fattening,"  says  he. 

"  They  are,"  says  she. 

"  And — and — "  says  he,  and  comes  to  a  stop — "  I 
reckon  we  '11  tackle  business  now,  having  done  the 
polite  like.  Have  you  any  brains  for  to  sell  ?  " 

"  That  depends,"  says  she,  "  if  thou  wants  king's 
brains,  or  soldier's  brains,  or  schoolmaster's  brains,  I 
dinna  keep  'em." 

"  Hout  no,"  says  he,  "  jist  ordinary  brains — fit  for 
any  fool — same  as  every  one  has  about  here  ;  some- 
thing clean  common-like." 

"  Aye  so,"  says  the  wise  woman,  "  I  might  manage 
that,  if  so  be  thou  'It  help  thyself." 

"  How  's  that  for,  missis  ?  "  says  he. 

"  Jest  so,"  says  she,  looking  in  the  pot ;  "  bring  me 
the  heart  of  the  thing  thou  likest  best  of  all,  and  I  '11 
tell  thee  where  to  get  thy  pottle  o'  brains." 

"  But,"  says  he,  scratching  his  head,  "  how  can  I 
do  that?" 


136  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  That  's  no  for  me  to  say,"  says  she,  "  find  out  for 
thyself,  my  lad !  if  thou  does  n't  want  to  be  a  fool  all 
thy  days.  But  thou  '11  have  to  read  me  a  riddle  so  as 
I  can  see  thou  'st  brought  the  right  thing,  and  if  thy 
brains  is  about  thee.  And  I  've  something  else  to 
see  to,"  says  she,  "  so  gode'en  to  thee,"  and  she 
carried  the  pot  away  with  her  into  the  back  place. 

So  off  went  the  fool  to  his  mother,  and  told  her 
what  the  wise  woman  said. 

44  And  I  reckon  I  '11  have  to  kill  that  pig,"  says  he, 
"  for  I  like  fat  bacon  better  than  anything." 

"  Then  do  it,  my  lad,"  said  his  mother,  "  for  certain 
't  will  be  a  strange  and  good  thing  fur  thee,  if  thou 
canst  buy  a  pottle  o'  brains,  arid  be  able  to  look  after 
thy  own  self." 

So  he  killed  his  pig,  and  next  day  off  he  went  to 
the  wise  woman's  cottage,  and  there  she  sat,  reading 
in  a  great  book. 

"  Gode'en,  missis,"  says  he,  "  I  Ve  brought  thee  the 
heart  o'  the  thing  I  like  the  best  of  all ;  and  I  put  it 
hapt  in  paper  on  the  table." 

"  Aye  so  ? "  says  she,  and  looked  at  him  through 
her  spectacles.  "  Tell  me  this  then,  what  runs  with- 
out feet  ?  " 

He  scratched  his  head,  and  thought,  and  thought, 
but  he  could  n't  tell. 

"  Go  thy  ways,"  says  she,  "  thou  'st  not  fetched  me 
the  right  thing  yet.  I  Ve  no  brains  for  thee  to-day." 
And  she  clapt  the  book  together,  and  turned  her 
back. 

So  off  the  fool  went  to  tell  his  mother. 


A  Pottle  o'  Brains  137 

But  as  he  got  nigh  the  house,  out  came  folk  running 
to  tell  him  that  his  mother  was  dying. 

And  when  he  got  in,  his  mother  only  looked  at  him 
and  smiled  as  if  to  say  she  could  leave  him  with  a 
quiet  mind  since  he  had  got  brains  enough  now  to 
look  after  himself — and  then  she  died. 

So  down  he  sat  and  the  more  he  thought  about  it 
the  badder  he  felt.  He  minded  how  she  'd  nursed 
him  when  he  was  a  tiddy  brat,  and  helped  him  with 
his  lessons,  and  cooked  his  dinners,  and  mended  his 
clouts,  and  bore  with  his  foolishness ;  and  he  felt 
sorrier  and  sorrier,  while  he  began  to  sob  and  greet. 

"  Oh,  mother,  mother  !"  says  he,  "who'll  take  care 
of  me  now  ?  Thou  should  n't  have  left  me  alone,  for 
I  liked  thee  better  than  everything  ! " 

And  as  he  said  that,  he  thought  of  the  words  of 
the  wise  woman.  "  Hi,  yi  !  "  says  he,  "must  I  take 
mother's  heart  to  her  ?  " 

"  No  !  I  can't  do  that,"  says  he.  "  What  '11  I  do  ? 
what  '11  I  do  to  get  that  pottle  o'  brains,  now  I  'm 
alone  in  the  world  ?  "  So  he  thought  and  thought 
and  thought,  and  next  day  he  went  and  borrowed  a 
sack,  and  bundled  his  mother  in,  and  carried  it  on  his 
shoulder  up  to  the  wise  woman's  cottage. 

"  Gode'en,  missis,"  says  he,  "  I  reckon  I  've  fetched 
thee  the  right  thing  this  time,  surely,"  and  he 
plumped  the  sack  down  kerflap !  in  the  doorsill. 

"  Maybe,"  says  the  wise  woman,  "  but  read  me  this, 
now,  what  's  yellow  and  shining  but  is  n't  gold  ?" 

And  he  scratched  his  head,  and  thought  and 
thought,  but  he  could  n't  tell. 


138  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Thou  'st  not  hit  the  right  thing,  my  lad,"  says  she. 
"  I  doubt  thou  'rt  a  bigger  fool  than  I  thought ! "  and 
shut  the  door  in  his  face. 

"  See  there  ! "  says  he,  and  set  down  by  the  road- 
side and  greets. 

"  I  Ve  lost  the  only  two  things  as  I  cared  for,  and 
what  else  can  I  find  to  buy  a  pottle  o'  brains  with  ! " 
and  he  fair  howled,  till  the  tears  ran  down  into  his 
mouth.  And  up  came  a  lass  that  lived  near  at  hand, 
and  looked  at  him. 

"  What 's  up  with  thee,  fool  ?  "  says  she. 

"  Oo,  I  Ve  killed  my  pig,  and  lost  my  mother  and 
I  'm  nobbut  a  fool  myself,"  says  he,  sobbing. 

"  That 's  bad,"  says  she ;  "  and  have  n't  thee  any- 
body to  look  after  thee  ?  " 

"  No,"  says  he,  "  and  I  canna  buy  my  pottle  o' 
brains,  for  there  's  nothing  I  like  best  left ! " 

"  What  art  talking  about  ?  "  says  she. 

And  down  she  sets  by  him,  and  he  told  her  all 
about  the  wise  woman  and  the  pig,  and  his  mother 
and  the  riddles,  and  that  he  was  alone  in  the  world. 

"  Well,"  says  she,  "  I  would  n't  mind  looking  after 
thee  myself." 

"  Could  thee  do  it  ?  "  says  he. 

"Ou,  ay!"  says  she;  " folks  say  as  fools  make 
good  husbands,  and  I  reckon  I  '11  have  thee,  if  thou  'rt 
willing." 

"  Can'st  cook  ?  "  says  he. 

"  Ay,  I  can,"  says  she. 

"  And  scrub  ?  "  says  he. 

"  Surely,"  says  she. 


A  Pottle  o'  Brains  139 

"  And  mend  my  clouts  ?  "  says  he. 

"  I  can  that,"  says  she. 

"I  reckon  thou 'It  do  then  as  well  as  anybody," 
says  he ;  "  but  what  '11  I  do  about  this  wise  wo- 
man ?  " 

"  Oh,  wait  a  bit,"  says  she,  "  something  may  turn 
up,  and  it  '11  not  matter  if  thou  'rt  a  fool,  so  long'st 
thou  'st  got  me  to  look  after  thee." 

"  That 's  true,"  says  he,  and  off  they  went  and  got 
married.  And  she  kept  his  house  so  clean  and  neat, 
and  cooked  his  dinner  so  fine,  that  one  night  he  says 
to  her  :  "Lass,  I  'm  thinking  I  like  thee  best  of  every- 
thing after  all." 

"  That 's  good  hearing,"  says  she,  "  and  what 
then?" 

"  Have  I  got  to  kill  thee,  dost  think,  and  take 
thy  heart  up  to  the  wise  woman  for  that  pottle  o' 
brains  ?  " 

"  Law,  no ! "  says  she,  looking  skeered,  "  I  winna 
have  that.  But  see  here ;  thou  did  n't  cut  out  thy 
mother's  heart,  did  thou  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  if  I  had,  maybe  I  'd  have  got  my  pottle 
o'  brains,"  says  he. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  says  she  ;  "  just  thou  take  me  as 
I  be,  heart  and  all,  and  I  '11  wager  I  '11  help  thee  read 
the  riddles." 

"  Can  thee  so  ?"  says  he,  doubtful  like ;  "  I  reckon 
they  're  too  hard  for  women  folk." 

"Well,"  says  she,  "let's  see  now.  Tell  me  the 
first" 

"  What  runs  without  feet  ?  "  says  he. 


140  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Why,  water  !  "  says  she. 

"  It  do,"  says  he,  and  scratched  his  head. 

"  And  what's  yellow  and  shining  but  is  n't  gold  ?" 

"  Why,  the  sun  !  "  says  she. 

"  Faith,  it  be  ! "  says  he.  lt  Come,  we  '11  go  up  to 
the  wise  woman  at  once,"  and  off  they  went.  And  as 
they  came  up  the  pad,  she  was  sitting  at  the  door, 
twining  straws. 

"  Gode'en,  missis,"  says  he. 

"  Gode'en,  fool,"  says  she. 

"  I  reckon  I  've  fetched  thee  the  right  thing  at  last," 
says  he. 

The  wise  woman  looked  at  them  both,  and  wiped 
her  spectacles. 

"  Canst  tell  me  what 
that  is  as  has  first  no 
legs,  and  then  two  legs,  ^  \3^\ '  x  /  ^ 

and    ends     with     four       f     j\  J^Vi.^  /,  , * 

legs?" 

And  the  fool  scratch- 
ed his  head  and  thought 
and  thought,  but  he 
could  n't  tell. 

And  the  lass  whis- 
pered in  his  ear : 

"It's  a  tadpole." 

"M'appen,"  says  he 
then,  "it  may  be  a  tadpole,  missis." 

The  wise  woman  nodded  her  head. 

"That's  right,"  says  she,  "and  thou  'st  got  thy 
pottle  o'  brains  already." 


A  Pottle  o'  Brains  141 

"  Where  be  they  ?  "  says  he,  looking  about  and  feel- 
ing in  his  pockets. 

"In  thy  wife's  head,"  says  she.  "The  only  cure 
for  a  fool  is  a  good  wife  to  look  after  him,  and  that 
thou  'st  got,  so  gode'en  to  thee  ! "  And  with  that  she 
nodded  to  them,  and  up  and  into  the  house. 

So  they  went  home  together,  and  he  never  wanted 
to  buy  a  pottle  o'  brains  again,  for  his  wife  had  enough 
for  both. 


The  King  of  England  and  His 
Three  Sons 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  an  old  king  who 
had  three  sons  ;  and  the  old  king  fell  very 
sick  one  time  and  there  was  nothing  at  all 
could  make  him  well  but  some  golden  apples  from  a 
far  country.  So  the  three  brothers  went  on  horseback 
to  look  for  some  of  these  apples.  They  set  off  to- 
gether, and  when  they  came  to  cross-roads  they 
halted  and  refreshed  themselves  a  bit ;  and  then  they 
agreed  to  meet  on  a  certain  time,  and  not  one  was  to 
go  home  before  the  other.  So  Valentine  took  the 
right,  and  Oliver  went  straight  on,  and  poor  Jack 
took  the  left. 

To  make  my  long  story  short,  I  shall  follow  poor 
Jack,  and  let  the  other  two  take  their  chance,  for  I 
don't  think  there  was  much  good  in  them.  Off  poor 
Jack  rides  over  hills,  dales,  valleys,  and  mountains, 
through  woolly  woods  and  sheepwalks,  where  the  old 
chap  never  sounded  his  hollow  bugle-horn,  farther 
than  I  can  tell  you  to-night  or  ever  intend  to  tell 
you. 

142 


The  King  of  England  143 

At  last  he  came  to  an  old  house,  near  a  great 
forest,  and  there  was  an  old  man  sitting  out  by  the 
door,  and  his  look  was  enough  to  frighten  you  or  any 
one  else ;  and  the  old  man  said  to  him : 

"  Good  morning,  my  king's  son." 

"  Good  morning  to  you,  old  gentleman,"  was  the 
young  prince's  answer ;  frightened  out  of  his  wits 
though  he  was,  he  did  n't  like  to  give  in. 

The  old  gentleman  told  him  to  dismount  and  to  go 
in  to  have  some  refreshment,  and  to  put  his  horse  in 
the  stable,  such  as  it  was.  Jack  soon  felt  much  better 
after  having  something  to  eat,  and  began  to  ask  the 
old  gentleman  how  he  knew  he  was  a  king's  son. 

"  Oh  dear ! "  said  the  old  man,  "  I  knew  that  you 
were  a  king's  son,  and  I  know  what  is  your  business 
better  than  what  you  do  yourself.  So  you  will  have 
to  stay  here  to-night ;  and  when  you  are  in  bed  you 
must  n't  be  frightened  whatever  you  may  hear.  There 
will  come  all  manner  of  frogs  and  snakes,  and  some 
will  try  to  get  into  your  eyes  and  your  mouth,  but 
mind,  don't  stir  the  least  bit  or  you  will  turn  into  one 
of  those  things  yourself." 

Poor  Jack  did  n't  know  what  to  make  of  this,  but, 
however,  he  ventured  to  go  to  bed.  Just  as  he 
thought  to  have  a  bit  of  sleep,  round  and  over  and 
under  him  they  came,  but  he  never  stirred  an  inch  all 
night. 

"  Well,  my  young  son,  how  are  you  this  morning?" 

"  Oh,  I  am  very  well,  thank  you,  but  I  did  n't  have 
much  rest." 

"  Well,  never  mind  that ;    you  have  got  on  very 


144  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

well  so  far,  but  you  have  a  great  deal  to  go  through 
before  you  can  have  the  golden  apples  to  go  to  your 
father.  You  'd  better  come  and  have  some  breakfast 
before  you  start  on  your  way  to  my  other  brother's 
house.  You  will  have  to  leave  your  own  horse  here 
with  me  until  you  come  back  again,  and  tell  me  every- 
thing about  how  you  get  on." 

After  that  out  came  a  fresh  horse  for  the  young 
prince,  and  the  old  man  gave  him  a  ball  of  yarn,  and 
he  flung  it  between  the  horse's  two  ears. 

Off  he  went  as  fast  as  the  wind,  which  the  wind  be- 
hind could  not  catch  the  wind  before,  until  he  came 
to  the  second  oldest  brother's  house.  When  he  rode 
up  to  the  door  he  had  the  same  salute  as  from  the  first 
old  man,  but  this  one  was  even  uglier  than  the  first 
one.  He  had  long  grey  hair,  and  his  teeth  were  curl- 
ing out  of  his  mouth,  and  his  finger-  and  toe-nails  had 
not  been  cut  for  many  thousand  years.  He  put  the 
horse  into  a  much  better  stable,  and  called  Jack  in, 
and  gave  him  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  and  they  had  a 
bit  of  a  chat  before  they  went  to  bed. 

"  Well,  my  young  son,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  sup- 
pose you  are  one  of  the  king's  children  come  to  look 
for  the  golden  apples  to  bring  him  back  to  health." 

"  Yes,  I  am  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers,  and 
I  should  like  to  get  them  to  go  back  with." 

"  Well,  don't  mind,  my  young  son.  Before  you  go 
to  bed  to-night  I  will  send  to  my  eldest  brother,  and 
will  tell  him  what  you  want,  and  he  won't  have  much 
trouble  in  sending  you  on  to  the  place  where  you  must 
get  the  apples.  But  mind  not  to  stir  to-night  no 


The  King  of  England  145 

matter  how  you  get  bitten  and  stung,  or  else  you  will 
work  great  mischief  to  yourself." 

The  young  man  went  to  bed  and  bore  all,  as  he  did 
the  first  night,  and  got  up  the  next  morning  well  and 
hearty.  After  a  good  breakfast  out  comes  a  fresh 
horse,  and  a  ball  of  yarn  to  throw  between  his  ears. 
The  old  man  told  him  to  jump  up  quick,  and  said  that 
he  had  made  it  all  right  with  his  eldest  brother,  not 
to  delay  for  anything  whatever,  "  For,"  said  he,  "you 
have  a  good  deal  to  go  through  with  in  a  very  short 
and  quick  time." 

He  flung  the  ball,  and  off  he  goes  as  quick  as  light- 
ning, and  comes  to  the  eldest  brother's  house.  The 
old  man  receives  him  very  kindly  and  told  him  he 
long  wished  to  see  him,  and  that  he  would  go  through 
his  work  like  a  man  and  come  back  safe  and  sound. 
"  To-night,"  said  he,  "  I  will  give  you  rest ;  there  shall 
nothing  come  to  disturb  you,  so  that  you  may  not  feel 
sleepy  for  to-morrow.  And  you  must  mind  to  get  up 
middling  early,  for  you  Ve  got  to  go  and  come  all  in 
the  same  day ;  there  will  be  no  place  for  you  to  rest 
within  thousands  of  miles  of  that  place  ;  and  if  there 
was,  you  would  stand  in  great  danger  never  to  come 
from  there  in  your  own  form.  Now,  my  young  prince, 
mind  what  I  tell  you.  To-morrow,  when  you  come  in 
sight  of  a  very  large  castle,  which  will  be  surrounded 
with  black  water,  the  first  thing  you  will  do  you  will 
tie  your  horse  to  a  tree,  and  you  will  see  three  beauti- 
ful swans  in  sight,  and  you  will  say,  '  Swan,  swan, 
carry  me  over  in  the  name  of  the  Griffin  of  the  Green- 
wood,1 and  the  swans  will  swim  you  over  to  the  earth. 


i46  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

There  will  be  three  great  entrances,  the  first  guarded 
by  four  great  giants  with  drawn  swords  in  their  hands, 
the  second  by  lions,  the  other  by  fiery  serpents  and 
dragons.  You  will  have  to  be  there  exactly  at  one 
o'clock ;  and  mind  and  leave  there  precisely  at  two. 
and  not  a  moment  later.  When  the  swans  carry  you 
over  to  the  castle,  you  will  pass  all  these  things,  all 
fast  asleep,  but  you  must  not  notice  any  of  them. 

"  When  you  go  in,  you  will  turn  up  to  the  right ; 
you  will  see  some  grand  rooms,  then  you  will  go 
downstairs  through  the  cooking  kitchen,  and  through 
a  door  on  your  left  you  go  into  a  garden,  where  you 
will  find  the  apples  you  want  for  your  father  to  get 
well.  After  you  fill  your  wallet,  you  make  all  speed 
you  possibly  can,  and  call  out  for  the  swans  to  carry 
you  over  the  same  as  before.  After  you  get  on  your 
horse,  should  you  hear  anything  shouting  or  making 
any  noise  after  you,  be  sure  not  to  look  back,  as  they 
will  follow  you  for  thousands  of  miles  ;  but  when  the 
time  is  up  and  you  get  near  my  place,  it  will  be  all 
over.  Well  now,  my  young  man,  I  have  told  you  all 
you  have  to  do  to-morrow ;  and  mind,  whatever  you 
do,  don't  look  about  you  when  you  see  all  those 
frightful  things  asleep.  Keep  a  good  heart,  and 
make  haste  from  there,  and  come  back  to  me  with 
all  the  speed  you  can.  I  should  like  to  know  how 
my  two  brothers  were  when  you  left  them,  and  what 
they  said  to  you  about  me." 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  before  I  left  London  my 
father  was  sick,  and  said  I  was  to  come  here  to  look 
for  the  golden  apples,  for  they  were  the  only  things 


148  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

that  would  do  him  good ;  and  when  I  came  to  your 
youngest  brother,  he  told  me  many  things  I  had  to  do 
before  I  came  here.  And  I  thought  once  that  your 
youngest  brother  put  me  in  the  wrong  bed,  when  he 
put  all  those  snakes  to  bite  me  all  night  long,  until 
your  second  brother  told  me  '  So  it  was  to  be,'  and 
said,  *  It  is  the  same  here/  but  said  you  had  none  in 
your  beds." 

"  Well,  let 's  go  to  bed.  You  need  not  fear.  There 
are  no  snakes  here." 

The  young  man  went  to  bed,  and  had  a  good  night's 
rest,  and  got  up  the  next  morning  as  fresh  as  newly 
caught  trout.  Breakfast  being  over,  out  comes  the 
other  horse,  and,  while  saddling  and  fettling,  the  old 
man  began  to  laugh,  and  told  the  young  gentleman 
that  if  he  saw  a  pretty  young  lady,  not  to  stay  with 
her  too  long,  because  she  might  waken,  and  then  he 
would  have  to  stay  with  her  or  to  be  turned  into  one 
of  those  unearthly  monsters,  like  those  he  would  have 
to  pass  by  going  into  the  castle. 

"  Ha !  ha !  ha !  you  make  me  laugh  so  that  I  can 
scarcely  buckle  the  saddle-straps.  I  think  I  shall 
make  it  all  right,  my  uncle,  if  I  see  a  young  lady 
there,  you  may  depend." 

"  Well,  my  boy,  I  shall  see  how  you  will  get  on." 

So  he  mounts  his  Arab  steed,  and  off  he  goes  like 
a  shot  out  of  a  gun.  At  last  he  comes  in  sight  of 
the  castle.  He  ties  his  horse  safe  to  a  tree,  and  pulls 
out  his  watch.  It  was  then  a  quarter  to  one,  when  he 
called  out,  "  Swan,  swan,  carry  me  over,  for  the  name 
of  the  old  Griffin  of  the  Greenwood."  No  sooner 


The  King  of  England  149 

said  than  done.  A  swan  under  each  side,  and  one  in 
front,  took  him  over  in  a  crack.  He  got  on  his  legs, 
and  walked  quietly  by  all  those  giants,  lions,  fiery  ser- 
pents, and  all  manner  of  other  frightful  things  too  nu- 
merous to  mention,  while  they  were  fast  asleep,  and 
that  only  for  the  space  of  one  hour,  when  into  the  castle 
he  goes  neck  or  nothing.  Turning  to  the  right,  up- 
stairs he  runs,  and  enters  into  a  very  grand  bedroom, 
and  sees  a  beautiful  Princess  lying  full  stretch  on  a 
gold  bedstead,  fast  asleep.  He  gazed  on  her  beauti- 
ful form  with  admiration,  and  he  takes  her  garter  off, 
and  buckles  it  on  his  own  leg,  and  he  buckles  his  on 
hers  ;  he  also  takes  her  gold  watch  and  pocket-hand- 
kerchief, and  exchanges  his  for  hers ;  after  that  he 
ventures  to  give  her  a  kiss,  when  she  very  nearly 
opened  her  eyes.  Seeing  the  time  short,  off  he  runs 
downstairs,  and  passing  through  the  kitchen  to  go 
into  the  garden  for  the  apples,  he  could  see  the  cook 
all-fours  on  her  back  on  the  middle  of  the  floor,  with 
the  knife  in  one  hand  and  the  fork  in  the  other.  He 
found  the  apples,  and  filled  the  wallet ;  and  on  pass- 
ing through  the  kitchen  the  cook  near  wakened,  but 
he  was  obliged  to  make  all  the  speed  he  possibly 
could,  as  the  time  was  nearly  up.  He  called  out  for 
the  swans,  and  they  managed  to  take  him  over ;  but 
they  found  that  he  was  a  little  heavier  than  before. 
No  sooner  than  he  had  mounted  his  horse  he  could 
hear  a  tremendous  noise,  the  enchantment  was  broke, 
and  they  tried  to  follow  him,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
He  was  not  long  before  he  came  to  the  oldest  brother's 
house  ;  and  glad  enough  he  was  to  see  it,  for  the  sight 


150  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

and  the  noise  of  all  those  things  that  were  after  him 
nearly  frightened  him  to  death. 

"  Welcome,  my  boy  ;  I  am  proud  to  see  you.  Dis- 
mount and  put  the  horse  in  the  stable,  and  come  in 
and  have  some  refreshments ;  I  know  you  are  hun- 
gry after  all  you  have  gone  through  in  that  castle. 
And  tell  me  all  you  did,  and  all  you  saw  there. 
Other  kings'  sons  went  by  here  to  go  to  that  castle, 
but  they  never  came  back  alive,  and  you  are  the  only 
one  that  ever  broke  the  spell.  And  now  you  must 
come  with  me,  with  a  sword  in  your  hand,  and  must 
cut  my  head  off,  and  must  throw  it  in  that  well." 

The  young  Prince  dismounts,  and  puts  his  horse  in 
the  stable,  and  they  go  in  to  have  some  refreshments, 
for  1  can  assure  you  he  wanted  some  ;  and  after  tell 
ing  everything  that  passed,  which  the  old  gentleman 
was  very  pleased  to  hear,  they  both  went  for  a  walk 
together,  the  young  Prince  looking  around  and  seeing 
the  place  looking  dreadful,  as  did  the  old  man.  He 
could  scarcely  walk  from  his  toe-nails  curling  up  like 
ram's  horns  that  had  not  been  cut  for  many  hundred 
years,  and  big  long  hair.  They  come  to  a  well,  and 
the  old  man  gives  the  Prince  a  sword,  and  tells  him 
to  cut  his  head  off,  and  throw  it  in  that  well.  The 
young  man  has  to  do  it  against  his  wish,  but  has 
to  do  it. 

No  sooner  has  he  flung  the  head  in  the  well,  than 
up  springs  one  of  the  finest  young  gentlemen  you 
would  wish  to  see ;  and  instead  of  the  old  house 
and  the  frightful-looking  place,  it  was  changed  into  a 
beautiful  hall  and  grounds.  And  they  went  back 


The  King  of  England  151 

and  enjoyed  themselves  well,  and  had  a  good  laugh 
about  the  castle. 

The  young  Prince  leaves  this  young  gentleman  in 
all  his  glory,  and  he  tells  the  young  Prince  before 
leaving  that  he  will  see  him  again  before  long.  They 
have  a  jolly  shake-hands,  and  off  he  goes  to  the  next 
oldest  brother;  and,  to  make  my  long  story  short, 
he  has  to  serve  the  other  two  brothers  the  same  as 
the  first. 

Now  the  youngest  brother  began  to  ask  him  how 
things  went  on.  "  Did  you  see  my  two  brothers  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"How  did  they  look?" 

"  Oh  !  they  looked  very  well.  I  liked  them  much. 
They  told  me  many  things  what  to  do." 

"  Well,  did  you  go  to  the  castle  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  uncle." 

"  And  will  you  tell  me  what  you  see  in  there  ?  Did 
you  see  the  young  lady  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  saw  her,  and  plenty  of  other  frightful 
things." 

"  Did  you  hear  any  snake  biting  you  in  my  oldest 
brother  s  bed  ?  " 

"  No,  there  were  none  there  ;  I  slept  well." 

"  You  won't  have  to  sleep  in  the  same  bed  to-night. 
You  will  have  to  cut  my  head  off  in  the  morning." 

The  young  Prince  had  a  good  night's  rest,  and 
changed  all  the  appearance  of  the  place  by  cutting 
his  friend's  head  off  before  he  started  in  the  morning. 
A  jolly  shake-hands,  and  the  uncle  tells  him  it 's  very 
probable  he  shall  see  him  again  soon  when  he  is  not 


152  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

aware  of  it.  This  one's  mansion  was  very  pretty, 
and  the  country  around  it  beautiful,  after  his  head 
was  cut  off.  Off  Jack  goes,  over  hills,  dales,  valleys, 
and  mountains,  and  very  near  losing  his  apples 
again. 

At  last  he  arrives  at  the  cross-roads,  where  he  has 
to  meet  his  brothers  on  the  very  day  appointed. 
Coming  up  to  the  place,  he  sees  no  tracks  of  horses, 
and,  being  very  tired,  he  lays  himself  down  to  sleep, 
by  tying  the  horse  to  his  leg,  and  putting  the  apples 
under  his  head.  Presently  up  come  the  other  broth- 
ers the  same  time  to  the  minute,  and  found  him 
fast  asleep  ;  and  they  would  not  waken  him,  but  said 
one  to  another,  "  Let  us  see  what  sort  of  apples  he 
has  got  under  his  head."  So  they  took  and  tasted 
them,  and  found  they  were  different  to  theirs.  They 
took  and  changed  his  apples  for  theirs,  and  off  to 
London  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  left  the  poor  fellow 
sleeping. 

After  a  while  he  awoke,  and,  seeing  the  tracks  of 
other  horses,  he  mounted  and  off  with  him,  not  think- 
ing anything  about  the  apples  being  changed.  He 
had  still  a  long  way  to  go,  and  by  the  time  he  got 
near  London  he  could  hear  all  the  bells  in  the  town 
ringing,  but  did  not  know  what  was  the  matter  till 
he  rode  up  to  the  palace,  when  he  came  to  know  that 
his  father  was  recovered  by  his  brothers'  apples. 
When  he  got  there  his  two  brothers  were  off  to  some 
sports  for  a  while ;  and  the  King  was  glad  to  see  his 
youngest  son,  and  very  anxious  to  taste  his  apples. 
But  when  he  found  out  that  they  were  not  good,  and 


The  King  of  England  153 

thought  that  they  were  more  for  poisoning  him,  he 
sent  immediately  for  the  headsman  to  behead  his 
youngest  son,  who  was  taken  away  there  and  then  in 
a  carriage.  But  instead  of  the  headsman  taking  his 
head  off,  he  took  him  to  a  forest  not  far  from  the 
town,  because  he  had  pity  on  him,  and  there  left  him 
to  take  his  chance,  when  presently  up  comes  a  big 
hairy  bear,  limping  upon  three  legs.  The  Prince, 
poor  fellow,  climbed  up  a  tree,  frightened  of  him,  but 
the  bear  told  him  to  come  down,  that  it  was  no  use 
of  him  to  stop  there.  With  hard  persuasion  poor 
Jack  comes  down,  and  the  bear  speaks  to  him  and 
bids  him  "  Come  here  to  me  ;  I  will  not  do  you  any 
harm.  It's  better  for  you  to  come  with  me  and  have 
some  refreshments  ;  I  know  that  you  are  hungry  all 
this  time." 

The  poor  young  Prince  says,  "  No,  I  am  not  hun- 
gry ;  but  I  was  very  frightened  when  I  saw  you 
coming  to  me  first,  as  I  had  no  place  to  run  away 
from  you." 

The  bear  said,  "  I  was  also  afraid  of  you  when  I 
saw  that  gentleman  setting  you  down  from  the 
carriage.  I  thought  you  would  have  guns  with  you, 
and  that  you  would  not  mind  killing  me  if  you  saw 
me  ;  but  when  I  saw  the  gentleman  going  away  with 
the  carriage,  and  leaving  you  behind  by  yourself,  I 
made  bold  to  come  to  you,  to  see  who  you  were,  and 
now  I  know  who  you  are  very  well.  Are  you  not 
the  king's  youngest  son  ?  I  have  seen  you  and  your 
brothers  and  lots  of  other  gentlemen  in  this  wood 
many  times.  Now  before  we  go  from  here,  I  must 


154  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

tell  you  that  I  am  in  disguise  ;  and  I  shall  take  you 
where  we  are  stopping." 

The  young  Prince  tells  him  everything  from  first 
to  last,  how  he  started  in  search  of  the  apples,  and 
about  the  three  old  men,  and  about  the  castle,  and 
how  he  was  served  at  last  by  his  father  after  he  came 
home ;  and  instead  of  the  headsman  taking  his  head 
off,  he  was  kind  enough  to  leave  him  his  life,  "  and 
here  I  am  now,  under  your  protection." 

The  bear  tells  him,  "  Come  on,  my  brother  ;  there 
shall  no  harm  come  to  you  as  long  as  you  are  with 
me." 

So  he  takes  him  up  to  the  tents ;  and  when  they 
see  'em  coming,  the  girls  begin  to  laugh,  and  say, 
"  Here  is  our  Jubal  coming  with  a  young  gentleman." 
When  he  advanced  nearer  the  tents,  they  all  knew 
that  he  was  the  young  Prince  that  had  passed  by  that 
way  many  times  before  ;  and  when  Jubal  went  to 
change  himself,  he  called  most  of  them  together  into 
one  tent,  and  told  them  all  about  him,  and  to  be 
kind  to  him.  And  so  they  were,  for  there  was  no- 
thing that  he  desired  but  what  he  had,  the  same  as  if 
he  was  in  the  palace  with  his  father  and  mother. 
Jubal,  after  he  pulled  off  his  hairy  coat,  was  one  of 
the  finest  young  men  amongst  them,  and  he  was 
the  young  Prince's  closest  companion.  The  young 
Prince  was  always  very  sociable  and  merry,  only 
when  he  thought  of  the  gold  watch  he  had  from  the 
young  Princess  in  the  castle,  and  which  he  had  lost 
he  knew  not  where. 

He  passed  off  many  happy  days  in  the  forest ;  but 


The  King  of  England  155 

one  day  he  and  poor  Jubal  were  strolling  through 
the  trees,  when  they  came  to  the  very  spot  where 
they  first  met,  and,  accidentally  looking  up,  he  could 
see  his  watch  hanging  in  the  tree  which  he  had  to 
climb  when  he  first  saw  poor  Jubal  coming  to  him  in 
the  form  of  a  bear ;  and  he  cries  out,  "  Jubal,  Jubal,  I 
can  see  my  watch  up  in  that  tree." 

"  Well,  I  am  sure,  how  lucky ! "  exclaimed  poor 
Jubal ;  "  shall  I  go  and  get  it  down  ?  " 

"  No,  I  'd  rather  go  myself,"  said  the  young 
Prince. 

Now  whilst  all  this  was  going  on,  the  young  Prin- 
cess in  that  castle,  seeing  that  one  of  the  King  of 
England's  sons  had  been  there  by  the  changing  of 
the  watch  and  other  things,  got  herself  ready  with  a 
large  army,  and  sailed  off  for  England.  She  left  her 
army  a  little  out  of  the  town,  and  she  went  with  her 
guards  straight  up  to  the  palace  to  see  the  King,  and 
also  demanded  to  see  his  sons.  They  had  a  long 
conversation  together  about  different  things.  At 
last  she  demands  one  of  the  sons  to  come  before  her ; 
and  the  oldest  comes,  when  she  asks  him,  "  Have 
you  ever  been  at  the  Castle  of  Melvales  ? "  and  he 
answers,  "Yes."  She  throws  down  a  pocket  hand- 
kerchief and  bids  him  to  walk  over  it  without  stum- 
bling. He  goes  to  walk  over  it,  and  no  sooner  did 
he  put  his  foot  on  it,  than  he  fell  down  and  broke 
his  leg.  He  was  taken  off  immediately  and  made  a 
prisoner  of  by  her  own  guards.  The  other  was 
called  upon,  and  was  asked  the  same  questions,  and 
had  to  go  through  the  same  performance,  and  he  also 


156  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

was  made  a  prisoner  of.  Now  she  says,  "  Have  you 
not  another  son  ?"  when  the  King  began  so  to  shiver 
and  shake  and  knock  his  two  knees  together  that  he 
could  scarcely  stand  upon  his  legs,  and  did  not  know 
what  to  say  to  her,  he  was  so  much  frightened.  At 
last  a  thought  came  to  him  to  send  for  his  headsman, 
and  inquire  of  him  particularly,  Did  he  behead  his 
son,  or  was  he  alive  ? 

"  He  is  saved,  O  King." 

"  Then  bring  him  here  immediately,  or  else  I  shall 
be  done  for." 

Two  of  the  fastest  horses  they  had  were  put  in  the 
carriage,  to  go  and  look  for  the  poor  Prince  ;  and 
when  they  got  to  the  very  spot  where  they  left 
him,  it  was  the  time  when  the  Prince  was  up  the 
tree,  getting  his  watch  down,  and  poor  Jubal  stand- 
ing a  distance  off.  They  cried  out  to  him,  Had 
he  seen  another  young  man  in  this  wood  ?  Ju- 
bal, seeing  such  a  nice  carriage,  thought  some- 
thing, and  did  not  like  to  say  No,  and  said  Yes, 
and  pointed  up  the  tree ;  and  they  told  him  to  come 
down  immediately,  as  there  was  a  young  lady  in 
search  of  him. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!  Jubal,  did  you  ever  hear  such  a 
thing  in  all  your  life,  my  brother  ?  " 

"  Do  you  call  him  your  brother  ?  " 

"Well,  he  has  been  better  to  me  than  my 
brothers." 

"  Well,  for  his  kindness  he  shall  accompany  you  to 
the  palace,  and  see  how  things  turn  out." 

After  they  go  to  the  palace,  the  Prince  has  a  good 


The  King  of  England  157 

wash,  and  appears  before  the  Princess,  when  she  asks 
him,  Had  he  ever  been  at  the  Castle  of  Melvales? 
With  a  smile  upon  his  face,  he  gives  a  graceful  bow. 
And  says  my  Lady,  "  Walk  over  that  handkerchief 
without  stumbling."  He  walks  over  it  many  times, 
and  dances  upon  it,  and  nothing  happened  to  him. 
She  said,  with  a  proud  and  smiling  air,  "  That  is  the 
young  man  ; "  and  out  come  the  objects  exchanged 
by  both  of  them.  Presently  she  orders  a  very  large 
box  to  be  brought  in  and  to  be  opened,  and  out  come 
some  of  the  most  costly  uniforms  that  were  ever 
worn  on  an  emperor's  back ;  and  when  he  dressed 
himself  up,  the  King  could  scarcely  look  upon  him 
from  the  dazzling  of  the  gold  and  diamonds  on  his 
coat.  He  orders  his  two  brothers  to  be  in  confine- 
ment for  a  period  of  time  ;  and  before  the  Princess 
asks  him  to  go  with  her  to  her  own  country,  she  pays 
a  visit  to  the  bear's  camp,  and  she  makes  some  very 
handsome  presents  for  their  kindness  to  the  young 
Prince.  And  she  gives  Jubal  an  invitation  to  go 
with  them,  which  he  accepts  ;  wishes  them  a  hearty 
farewell  for  a  while,  promising  to  see  them  all  again 
in  some  little  time. 

They  go  back  to  the  King  and  bid  farewell,  and 
tell  him  not  to  be  so  hasty  another  time  to  order 
people  to  be  beheaded  before  having  a  proper  cause 
for  it.  Off  they  go  with  all  their  army  with  them ; 
but  while  the  soldiers  were  striking  their  tents,  the 
Prince  bethought  himself  of  his  Welsh  harp,  and  had 
it  sent  for  immediately  to  take  with  him  in  a  beautiful 
wooden  case.  They  called  to  see  each  of  those  three 


158  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

brothers  whom  the  Prince  had  to  stay  with  when  he 
was  on  his  way  to  the  Castle  of  Melvales ;  and  I  can 
assure  you,  when  they  all  got  together,  they  had  a 
very  merry  time  of  it.  And  there  we  will  leave 
them. 


King  John  and  the  Abbot  of 
Canterbury 

IN  the  reign  of  King  John  there  lived  an  Abbot  of 
Canterbury    who    kept    up   grand   state   in    his 
Abbey.     A  hundred  of  the  Abbot's  men  dined 
each  day  with  him  in  his  refectory,  and  fifty  knights 
in  velvet  coats  and  gold  chains  waited  upon  him  daily. 
Well,  King  John,  as  you  know,  was  a  very  bad  king, 
and  he  could  n't  brook  the  idea  of  any  one  in  his 
kingdom,  however  holy  he  might  be,  being  honoured 
more  than  he.    So  he  summoned  the  Abbot  of  Canter- 
bury to  his  presence. 

The  Abbot  came  with  a  goodly  retinue,  with  his 
fifty  knights-at-arms  in  velvet  cloaks  and  gold  chains. 
The  King  went  to  meet  him,  and  said  to  him,  "  How 
now,  father  Abbot  ?  I  hear  it  of  thee,  thou  keepest 
far  greater  state  than  I.  This  becomes  not  our  royal 
dignity,  and  savours  of  treason  in  thee." 

"  My  liege,"  quoth  the  Abbot,  bending  low,  "  I  beg 
to  say  that  all  I  spend  has  been  freely  given  to  the 
Abbey  out  of  the  piety  of  the  folk.  I  trust  your 
Grace  will  not  take  it  ill  that  I  spend  for  the  Abbey's 
sake  what  is  the  Abbey's." 

159 


160  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Nay,  proud  prelate,"  answered  the  King,  "  all  that 
is  in  this  fair  realm  of  England  is  our  own,  and  thou 
hast  no  right  to  put  me  to  shame  by  holding  such 
state.  However,  of  my  clemency  I  will  spare  thee 
thy  life  and  thy  property  if  you  can  answer  me  but 
three  questions." 

"  I  will  do  so,  my  liege,"  said  the  Abbot,  "  so  far  as 
my  poor  wit  can  extend." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  King,  "  tell  me  where  is  the 
centre  of  all  the  world  round  ;  then  let  me  know  how 
soon  can  I  ride  the  whole  world  about ;  and,  lastly, 
tell  me  what  I  think." 

"  Your  Majesty  jesteth,"  stammered  the  Abbot. 

"  Thou  wilt  find  it  no  jest,"  said  the  King.  "  Unless 
thou  canst  answer  me  these  questions  three  before  a 
week  is  out,  thy  head  will  leave  thy  body ; "  and  he 
turned  away. 

Well,  the  Abbot  rode  off  in  fear  and  trembling,  and 
first  he  went  to  Oxford  to  see  if  any  learned  doctor 
could  tell  him  the  answer  to  those  questions  three  ; 
but  none  could  help  him,  and  he  took  his  way  to 
Canterbury,  sad  and  sorrowful,  to  take  leave  of  his 
monks.  But  on  his  way  he  met  his  shepherd  as  he 
was  going  to  the  fold. 

"  Welcome  home,  Lord  Abbot,"  quoth  the  shep- 
herd ;  "what  news  from  good  King  John  ?" 

"Sad  news,  sad  news,  my  shepherd,"  said  the 
Abbot,  and  told  him  all  that  had  happened. 

"  Now,  cheer  up,  Sir  Abbot,"  said  the  shepherd. 
"  A  fool  may  perhaps  answer  what  a  wise  man  knows 
not.  I  will  go  to  London  in  your  stead  ;  grant  me 


King  John  and  the  Abbot  161 

only  your  apparel  and  your  retinue  of  knights.  At 
the  least  I  can  die  in  your  place." 

"  Nay,  shepherd,  not  so,"  said  the  Abbot ;  "  I  must 
meet  the  danger  in  my  own  person.  And  to  that, 
thou  canst  not  pass  for  me." 

"  But  I  can  and  I  will,  Sir  Abbot.  In  a  cowl,  who 
will  know  me  for  what  I  am  ?  " 

So  at  last  the  Abbot  consented,  and  sent  him  to 
London  in  his  most  splendid  array,  and  he  approached 
King  John  with  all  his  retinue  as  before,  but  dressed 
in  his  simple  monk's  dress  and  his  cowl  over  his  face. 

"  Now  welcome,  Sir  Abbot,"  said  King  John ; 
"thou  art  prepared  for  thy  doom,  I  see." 

"  I  am  ready  to  answer  your  Majesty,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  then,  question  first — where  is  the  centre  of 
the  round  earth  ?  "  said  the  King. 

"  Here,"  said  the  shepherd  Abbot,  planting  his 
crozier  in  the  ground ;  "  an'  your  Majesty  believe  me 
not,  go  measure  it  and  see." 

"  By  St.  Botolph,"  said  the  King,  "a  merry  answer 
and  a  shrewd;  so  to  question  the  second.  How  soon 
may  I  ride  this  round  world  about  ?  " 

"  If  your  Majesty  will  graciously  rise  with  the  sun, 
and  ride  along  with  him  until  the  next  morning  he 
rise,  your  Grace  will  surely  have  ridden  it  round." 

11  By  St.  John,"  laughed  King  John,  "  I  did  not 
think  it  could  be  done  so  soon.  But  let  that  pass, 
and  tell  me  question  third  and  last,  and  that  is — 
What  do  I  think?" 

"  That  is  easy,  your  Grace,"  said  he.  '  Your  Ma- 
jesty thinks  I  am  my  lord  the  Abbot  of  Canterbury ; 


162  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

but  as  you  may  see,"  and  here  he  raised  his  cowlt 
"  I  am  but  his  poor  shepherd,  that  am  come  to 
ask  your  pardon  for  him  and  for  me." 

Loud  laughed  the  King. 
"  Well  caught.  Thou  hast  more 
wit  than  thy  lord,  and  thou  shalt 
be  Abbot  in  his  place." 

"  Nay,  that  cannot  be,"  quoth 
the  shepherd  ;  "  I  know  not  to 
write  nor  to  read." 

44  Well,  then,  four  nobles  a 
week  thou  shalt  have  for  the 
ready  wit.  And  tell  the  Abbot 
from  me  that  he  has  my  par- 
don." And  with  that  King  John  sent  away  the 
shepherd  with  a  right  royal  present,  besides  his 
pension. 


Rushen    Coatie 


THERE  was  once  a  king  and  a  queen,  as  man}  a 
one  has  been  ;  few  have  we  seen,  and  as  few 
may  we  see.      But  the  queen   died,  leaving 
only  one  bonny  girl,  and  she  told  her  on  her  death- 
bed :    "  My  dear,  after  I  am  gone,  there  will  come  to 
you  a  little  red  calf,   and  whenever  you  want  any- 
thing, speak  to  it,  and  it  will  give  it  you." 

Now,  after  a  while,  the  king  married  again  an  ill- 
natured  wife,  with  three  ugly  daughters  of  her  own. 
And  they  hated  the  king's  daughter  because  she  was 
so  bonny.  So  they  took  all  her  fine  clothes  away 
from  her,  and  gave  her  only  a  coat  made  of  rushes. 
So  they  called  her  Rushen  Coatie,  and  made  her  sit 
in  the, kitchen  nook,  amid  the  ashes.  And  when  din- 
ner-time came,  the  nasty  stepmother  sent  her  out  a 
thimbleful  of  broth,  a  grain  of  barley,  a  thread  of 


1 64  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

meat,  and  a  crumb  of  bread.  But  when  she  had  eaten 
all  this,  she  was  just  as  hungry  as  before,  so  she  said 
to  herself  :  "  Oh  !  how  I  wish  I  had  something  to  eat." 
Just  then,  who  should  come  in  but  a  little  red  calf, 
and  said  to  her :  "  Put  your  finger  into  my  left  ear." 
She  did  so,  and  found  some  nice  bread.  Then  the 
calf  told  her  to  put  her  finger  into  its  right  ear,  and 
she  found  there  some  cheese,  and  made  a  right  good 
meal  of  the  bread  and  cheese.  And  so  it  went  on 
from  day  to  day. 

Now  the  king's  wife  thought  Rushen  Coatie  would 
soon  die  from  the  scanty  food  she  got,  and  she  was 
surprised  to  see  her  as  lively  and  healthy  as  ever.  So 
she  set  one  of  her  ugly  daughters  on  the  watch  at 
meal  times  to  find  out  how  Rushen  Coatie  got  enough 
to  live  on.  The  daughter  soon  found  out  that  the 
red  calf  gave  food  to  Rushen  Coatie,  and  told  her 
mother.  So  her  mother  went  to  the  king  and  told 
him  she  was  longing  to  have  a  sweetbread  from  a 
red  calf.  Then  the  king  sent  for  his  butcher,  and 
had  the  little  red  calf  killed.  And  when  Rushen 
Coatie  heard  of  it,  she  sate  down  and  wept  by  its 
side,  but  the  dead  calf  said: 

"  Take  me  up,  bone  by  bone, 
-  And  put  me  beneath  yon  grey  stone ; 

When  there  is  aught  you  want 
Tell  it  me,  and  that  I  '11  grant." 

So  she  did  so,  but  could  not  find  the  shank-bone  of 
the  calf. 

Now  the  very  next  Sunday  was  Yuletide,  and  all 


Rushen  Coatie  165 

the  folk  were  going  to  church  in  their  best  clothes, 
so  Rushen  Coatie  said  :  "  Oh  !  I  should  like  to  go  to 
church,  too,"  but  the  three  ugly  sisters  said  :  "  What 
would  you  do  at  the  church,  you  nasty  thing  ?  You 
must  bide  at  home  and  make  the  dinner."  And  the 
king's  wife  said  :  "  And  this  is  what  you  must  make 
the  soup  of,  a  thimbleful  of  water,  a  grain  of  barley, 
and  a  crumb  of  bread." 

When  they  all  went  to  church,  Rushen  Coatie  sat 
down  and  wept,  but  looking  up,  who  should  she  see 
coming  in  limping,  lamping,  with  a  shank  wanting, 
but  the  dear  red  calf  ?  And  the  red  calf  said  to  her : 
"  Do  not  sit  there  weeping,  but  go,  put  on  these 
clothes,  and  above  all,  put  on  this  pair  of  glass  slip- 
pers, and  go  your  way  to  church." 

"  But  what  will  become  of  the  dinner  ?  "  said  Rushen 
Coatie. 

"  Oh,  do  not  fash  about  that,"  said  the  red  calf, 
"  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  say  to  the  fire  : 

"  *  Every  peat  make  t'other  burn, 
Every  spit  make  t'other  turn, 
Every  pot  make  t'other  play, 
Till  I  come  from  church  this  good  Yuleday,' 

and  be  off  to  church  with  you.  But  mind  you  come 
home  first." 

So  Rushen  Coatie  said  this,  and  went  off  to  church, 
and  she  was  the  grandes^:  and  finest  lady  there.  There 
happened  to  be  a  young  prince  there,  and  he  fell  at 
once  in  love  with  her.  But  she  came  away  before 
service  was  over,  and  was  home  before  the  rest,  and 


1 66  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

had  off  her  fine  clothes  and  on  with  her  rushen 
coatie,  and  she  found  the  calf  had  covered  the  table, 
and  the  dinner  was  ready,  and  everything  was  in  good 
order  when  the  rest  came  home.  The  three  sisters 
said  to  Rushen  Coatie  :  "  Eh,  lassie,  if  you  had  seen 
the  bonny  fine  lady  in  church  to-day,  that  the  young 
prince  fell  in  love  with  ! "  Then  she  said  :  "  Oh  !  I 
wish  you  would  let  me  go  with  you  to  the  church  to- 
morrow," for  they  used  to  go  three  days  together  to 
church  at  Yuletide. 

But  they  said  :  "  What  should  the  like  of  you  do  at 
church,  nasty  thing  ?  The  kitchen  nook  is  good 
enough  for  you." 

So  the  next  day  they  all  went  to  church,  and 
Rushen  Coatie  was  left  behind,  to  make  dinner  out 
of  a  thimbleful  of  water,  a  grain  of  barley,  a  crumb  of 
bread,  and  a  thread  of  meat.  But  the  red  calf  came 
to  her  help  again,  gave  her  finer  clothes  than  before, 
and  she  went  to  church,  where  all  the  world  was 
looking  at  her,  and  wondering  where  such  a  grand 
lady  came  from,  and  the  prince  fell  more  in  love  with 
her  than  ever,  and  tried  to  find  out  where  she  went 
to.  But  she  was  too  quick  for  him,  and  got  home 
long  before  the  rest,  and  the  red  calf  had  the  dinner 
all  ready. 

The  next  day  the  calf  dressed  her  in  even  grander 
clothes  than  before,  and  she  went  to  the  church. 
And  the  young  prince  was  there  again,  and  this  time 
he  put  a  guard  at  the  door  to  keep  her,  but  she  took 
a  hop  and  a  run  and  jumped  over  their  heads,  and  as 
she  did  so,  down  fell  one  of  her  glass  slippers.  She 


Rushen  Coatie  167 

did  n't  wait  to  pick  it  up,  you  may  be  sure,  but  off  she 
ran  home,  as  fast  as  she  could  go,  on  with  the  rushen 
coatie,  and  the  calf  had  all  things  ready. 

Then  the  young  prince  put  out  a  proclamation 
that  whoever  could  put  on  the  glass  slipper  should 
be  his  bride.  All  the  ladies  of  his  court  went  and 
tried  to  put  on  the  slipper.  And  they  tried  and  tried 
and  tried,  but  it  was  too  small  for  them  all.  Then  he 
ordered  one  of  his  ambassadors  to  mount  a  fleet  horse 
and  ride  through  the  kingdom  and  find  an  owner  for 
the  glass  shoe.  He  rode  and  he  rode  to  town  and 
castle,  and  made  all  the  ladies  try  to  put  on  the 
shoe.  Many  a  one  tried  to  get  it  on  that  she  might 
be  the  prince's  bride.  But  no,  it  would  n't  do,  and 
many  a  one  wept,  I  warrant,  because  she  could  n't  get 
on  the  bonny  glass  shoe.  The  ambassador  rode  on 
and  on  till  he  came  at  the  very  last  to  the  house 
where  there  were  the  three  ugly  sisters.  The  first 
two  tried  it  and  it  would  n't  do,  and  the  queen,  mad 
with  spite,  hacked  off  the  toes  and  heels  of  the  third 
sister,  and  she  could  then  put  the  slipper  on,  and  the 
prince  was  brought  to  marry  her,  for  he  had  to  keep 
his  promise.  The  ugly  sister  was  dressed  all  in  her 
best  and  was  put  up  behind  the  prince  on  horseback, 
and  off  they  rode  in  great  gallantry.  But  ye  all 
know,  pride  must  have  a  fall,  for  as  they  rode  along 
a  raven  sang  out  of  a  bush — 

"  Hacked  Heels  and  Pinched  Toes 
Behind  the  young  prince  rides, 
But  Pretty  Feet  and  Little  Feet 
Behind  the  cauldron  bides." 


1 68  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  What 's  that  the  birdie  sings  ? "  said  the  young 
prince. 

"  Nasty,  lying  thing,"  said  the  step-sister,  "  never 
mind  what  it  says." 

But  the  prince  looked  down  and  saw  the  slipper 
dripping  with  blood,  so  he  rode  back  and  put  her 
down.  Then  he  said,  "  There  must  be  some  one  that 
the  slipper  has  not  been  tried  on." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  they,  "there's  none  but  a  dirty 
thing  that  sits  in  the  kitchen  nook  and  wears  a 
rushen  coatie." 

But  the  prince  was  determined  to  try  it  on  Rushen 
Coatie,  but  she  ran  away  to  the  grey  stone,  where  the 
red  calf  dressed  her  in  her  bravest  dress,  and  she 
went  to  the  prince  and  the  slipper  jumped  out  of  his 
pocket  on  to  her  foot,  fitting  her  without  any  chip- 
ping or  paring.  So  the  prince  married  her  that  very 
day,  and  they  lived  happy  ever  after. 


The  King  o'  the  Cats 

ONE  winter's  evening  the  sexton's  wife  was  sit- 
ting by  the  fireside  with  her  big  bla~k  cat, 
Old  Tom,  on  the  other  side,  both  hah  Asleep 
and  waiting  for  the  master  to  come  home.  They 
waited  and  they  waited,  but  still  he  did  n't  come,  till 
at  last  he  came  rushing  in,  calling  out,  "  Who 's 
Tommy  Tildrum  ? "  in  such  a  wild  way  that  both 
his  wife  and  his  cat  stared  at  him  to  know  what  was 
the  matter. 

"  Why,  what 's  the  matter  ?  "  said  his  wife,  "  and  why 
do  you  want  to  know  who  Tommy  Tildrum  is  ?" 

4<  Oh,  I  Ve  had  such  an  adventure.  I  was  digging 
away  at  old  Mr.  Fordyce's  grave  when  I  suppose  I 
must  have  dropped  asleep,  and  only  woke  up  by  hear- 
ing a  cat's  Miaou" 

"Miaou  /"  said  Old  Tom  in  answer. 

"  Yes,  just  like  that !  So  I  looked  over  the  edge 
of  the  grave,  and  what  do  you  think  I  saw  ?  " 

"  Now,  how  can  I  tell  ?"  said  the  sexton's  wife. 

"  Why,  nine  black  cats  all  like  our  friend  Tom 
here,  all  with  a  white  spot  on  their  chestesses.  And 
what  do  you  think  they  were  carrying  ?  Why,  a 

169 


170  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

small  coffin  covered  with  a  black  velvet  pall,  and  on 
the  pall  was  a  small  coronet  all  of  gold,  and  at 
every  third  step  they  took  they  cried  all  together, 
Miaou " 

"  Miaou  !  "  said  Old  Tom  again. 

"  Yes,  just  like  that ! "  said  the  Sexton ;  "  and  as 
they  came  nearer  and  nearer  to  me  I  could  see  them 
more  distinctly,  because  their  eyes  shone  out  with  a 
sort  of  green  light.  Well,  they  all  came  towards 
me,  eight  of  them  carrying  the  coffin,  and  the  biggest 
cat  of  all  walking  in  front  for  all  the  world  like — but 
look  at  our  Tom,  how  he  's  looking  at  me.  You  'd 
think  he  knew  all  I  was  saying." 

"  Go  on,  go  on,"  said  his  wife ;  "  never  mind  Old 
Tom." 

"  Well,  as  I  was  a-saying,  they  came  towards  me 
slowly  and  solemnly,  and  at  every  third  step  crying 
all  together,  Miaou " 

"  Miaou  !  "  said  Old  Tom  again. 

"  Yes,  just  like  that,  till  they  came  and  stood  right 
opposite  Mr.  Fordyce's  grave,  where  I  was,  when 
they  all  stood  still  and  looked  straight  at  me.  I  did 
feel  queer,  that  I  did  !  But  look  at  Old  Tom ;  he  's 
looking  at  me  just  like  they  did." 

"  Go  on,  go  on,"  said  his  wife  ;  "  never  mind  Old 
Tom." 

"  Where  was  I  ?  Oh,  they  all  stood  still  looking 
at  me,  when  the  one  that  was  n't  carrying  the  coffin 
came  forward  and,  staring  straight  at  me,  said  to  me 
— yes,  I  tell  'ee,  said  to  me,  with  a  squeaky  voice, 
4  Tell  Tom  Tildrum  that  Tim  Toldrum  's  dead/  and 


The  King  o'  the  Cats 


171 


that  's  why  I  asked  you  if  you  knew  who  Tom  Til- 
drum  was,  for  how  can  I  tell  Tom  Tildrum  Tim  Tol- 
drum  's  dead  if  I  don't  know  who  Tom  Tildrum  is  ?  " 

"  Look  at  Old  Tom,  look  at  Old  Tom! "  screamed 
his  wife. 

And  well  he  might  look,  for  Tom  was  swelling  and 
Tom  was  staring,  and  at  last  Tom  shrieked  out, 
"  What — old  Tim  dead  !  then  I  'm  the  King  o'  the 
Cats  ! "  and  rushed  up  the  chimney  and  was  never 
more  seen. 


Tamlane 

YOUNG  TAMLANE  was  son  of  Earl  Murray, 
and  Burd  Janet  was  daughter  of  Dunbar,  Earl 
of  March.     And  when  they  were  young  they 
loved  one  another   and   plighted   their   troth.     But 
when  the  time  came  near  for  their  marrying,  Tam- 
lane disappeared,  and  none  knew  what  had  become 
of  him. 

Many,  many  days  after  he  had  disappeared,  Burd 
Janet  was  wandering  in  Carterhaugh  Wood,  though 
she  had  been  warned  not  to  go  there.  And  as  she 
wandered  she  plucked  the  flowers  from  the  bushes. 
She  came  at  last  to  a  bush  of  broom  and  be- 
gan plucking  it.  She  had  not  taken  more  than 
three  flowerets  when  by  her  side  up  started  young 
Tamlane. 

"Where  come  ye  from,  Tamlane,  Tamlane?" 
Burd  Janet  said ;  "  and  why  have  you  been  away 
so  long?" 

"  From  Elfland  I  come,"  said  young  Tamlane. 
"  The  Queen  of  Elfland  has  made  me  her  knight." 

"  But  how  did  you  get  there,  Tamlane  ?  "  said  Burd 
Janet. 

172 


Tamlane  1 73 

"  I  was  hunting  one  day,  and  as  I  rode  widershins 
round  yon  hill,  a  deep  drowsiness  fell  upon  me,  and 
when  I  awoke,  behold  !  I  was  in  Elfland.  Fair  is  that 
land  and  gay,  and  fain  would  I  stop  but  for  thee  and 
one  other  thing.  Every  seven  years  the  Elves  pay 
their  tithe  to  the  Nether  world,  and  for  all  the  Queen 
makes  much  of  me,  I  fear  it  is  myself  that  will  be  the 
tithe." 

"  Oh  can  you  not  be  saved  ?  Tell  me  if  aught  I 
can  do  will  save  you,  Tamlane  ?  " 

"  One  only  thing  is  there  for  my  safety.  To-mor- 
row night  is  Hallowe'en,  and  the  fairy  court  will  then 
ride  through  England  and  Scotland,  and  if  you  would 
borrow  me  from  Elfland  you  must  take  your  stand 
by  Miles  Cross  between  twelve  and  one  o'  the  night, 
and  with  holy  water  in  your  hand  you  must  cast  a 
compass  all  around  you." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  you,  Tamlane  ?  "  quoth  Burd 
Janet,  "amid  so  many  knights  I  've  ne'er  seen  before?" 

"The  first  court  of  Elves  that  come  by  let  pass. 
The  next  court  you  shall  pay  reverence  to,  but  do 
naught  nor  say  aught.  But  the  third  court  that 
comes  by  is  the  chief  court  of  them,  and  at  the  head 
rides  the  Queen  of  all  Elfland.  And  I  shall  ride  by 
her  side  upon  a  milk-white  steed  with  a  star  in  my 
crown ;  they  give  me  this  honour  as  being  a  christ- 
ened knight.  Watch  my  hands,  Janet,  the  right  one 
will  be  gloved  but  the  left  one  will  be  bare,  and  by 
that  token  you  will  know  me." 

"But  how  to  save  you,  Tamlane?"  quoth  Burd 
Janet. 


174 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


"You  must  spring  upon  me  suddenly,  and  I  will 
fall  to  the  ground.  Then  seize  me  quick,  and  what- 
ever change  befall  me,  for  they  will  exercise  all  their 
magic  on  me,  cling  hold  to  me  till  they  turn  me  into 
red-hot  iron.  Then  cast  me  into  this  pool  and  I  will 
be  turned  back  into  a  mother-naked  man.  Cast  then 

your  green  mantle  over  me, 
and  I  shall  be  yours,  and 
be  of  the  world  again." 

So  Burd  Janet  promised 
to  do  all  for  Tamlane,  and 
next  night  at  midnight  she 
took  her  stand  by  Miles 
Cross  and  cast  a  compass 
round  her  with  holy  water. 
Soon  there  came  riding 
by  the  Elfin  court,  first 
over  the  mound  went  a 
troop  on  black  steeds,  and 
then  another  troop  on 
brown.  But  in  the  third 
court,  all  on  milk-white 
steeds,  she  saw  the  Queen 
of  Elfland,  and  by  her  side 
a  knight  with  a  star  in  his 
crown,  with  right  hand 
gloved  and  the  left  bare. 
Then  she  knew  this  was 
her  own  Tamlane,  and  springing  forward  she  seized 
the  bridle  of  the  milk-white  steed  and  pulled  its 
rider  down.  And  as  soon  as  he  had  touched  the 


Tamlane  175 

ground  she  let  go  the  bridle  and  seized  hkn  in  her 
arms. 

"He's  won,  he's  won  amongst  us  all,"  shrieked 
out  the  eldritch  crew,  and  all  came  around  her  and 
tried  their  spells  on  young  Tamlane. 

First  they  turned  him  in  Janet's  arms  like  frozen 
ice,  then  into  a  huge  flame  of  roaring  fire.  Then, 
again,  the  fire  vanished  and  an  adder  was  skipping 
through  her  arms,  but  still  she  held  on ;  and  then 
they  turned  him  into  a  snake  that  reared  up  as  if  to 
bite  her,  and  yet  she  held  on.  Then  suddenly  a  dove 
was  struggling  in  her  arms,  and  almost  flew  away. 
Then  they  turned  him  into  a  swan,  but  all  was  in 
vain,  till  at  last  he  was  turned  into  a  red-hot  glaive, 
and  this  she  cast  into  a  well  of  water  and  then  he 
turned  back  into  a  mother-naked  man.  She  quickly 
cast  her  green  mantle  over  him,  and  young  Tam- 
lane was  Burd  Janet's  for  ever. 

Then  sang  the  Queen  of  Elfland  as  the  court  turned 
away  and  began  to  resume  its  march : 

"  She  that  has  borrowed  young  Tamlane 

Has  gotten  a  stately  groom, 
She  's  taken  away  my  bonniest  knight, 
Left  nothing  in  his  room. 

"  But  had  I  known,  Tamlane,  Tamlane, 

A  lady  would  borrow  thee, 
Vd  hae  ta'en  out  thy  two  grey  eyne, 
Put  in  two  eyne  of  tree. 

"  Had  I  but  known,  Tamlane,  Tamlane, 
Before  we  came  from  home, 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 

I  'd  hae  ta'en  out  thy  heart  o'  flesh, 
Put  in  a  heart  of  stone. 

"  Had  I  but  had  the  wit  yestreen 

That  I  have  got  to-day, 
I  'd  paid  the  Fiend  seven  times  his  teind 
Ere  you  'd  been  won  away." 

And  then  the  Elfin  court  rode  away,  and  Burd 
Janet  and  young  Tamlane  went  their  way  home- 
wards and  were  soon  after  married  after  young  Tarn- 
lane  had  again  been  sained  by  the  holy  water  and 
made  Christian  once  more. 


The  Stars  in  the  Sky 

ONCE  on  a  time  and  twice  on  a  time,  and  all 
times  together  as  ever  I  heard  tell  of,  there  was 
a  tiny  lassie  who  would  weep  all  day  to  have 
the  stars  in  the  sky  to  play  with  ;  she  would  n't  have 
this,  and  she  would  n't  have  that,  but  it  was  always 
the  stars  she  would  have.  So  one  fine  day  off  she 
went  to  find  them.  And  she  walked  and  she  walked 
and  she  walked,  till  by-and-by  she  came  to  a  mill- 
dam. 

"  Goode'en  to  ye,"  says  she,  "  I  'm  seeking  the  stars 
in  the  sky  to  play  with.  Have  you  seen  any  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  my  bonnie  lassie,"  said  the  mill-dam. 
"  They  shine  in  my  own  face  o'  nights  till  I  can't 
sleep  for  them.  Jump  in  and  perhaps  you  '11  find 
one." 

So  she  jumped  in,  and  swam  about  and  swam 
about  and  swam  about,  but  ne'er  a  one  could  she  see. 
So  she  went  on  till  she  came  to  a  brooklet. 

"  Goode'en  to  ye,  Brooklet,  Brooklet,"  says  she  ; 
"  I  'm  seeking  the  stars  in  the  sky  to  play  with.  Have 
you  seen  any  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed,  my  bonny  lassie,"  said  the  Brooklet. 

xa 

177 


i;8  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  They  glint  on  my  banks  at  night.  Paddle  about, 
and  maybe  you  '11  find  one." 

So  she  paddled  and  she  paddled  and  she  paddled, 
but  ne'er  a  one  did  she  find.  So  on  she  went  till  she 
came  to  the  Good  Folk. 

"  Goode'en  to  ye,  Good  Folk,"  says  she ;  "  I  'm 
looking  for  the  stars  in  the  sky  to  play  with.  Have 
ye  seen  e'er  a  one  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  my  bonny  lassie,"  said  the  Good  Folk. 
"  They  shine  on  the  grass  here  o'  night.  Dance  with 
us,  and  maybe  you  '11  find  one." 

And  she  danced  and  she  danced  and  she  danced, 
but  ne'er  a  one  did  she  see.  So  down  she  sate ;  I 
suppose  she  wept. 

"  Oh  dearie  me,  oh  dearie  me,"  says  she,  "  I  Ve 
swam  and  I  Ve  paddled  and  I  Ve  danced,  and  if  ye  '11 
not  help  me  I  shall  never  find  the  stars  in  the  sky  to 
play  with." 

But  the  Good  Folk  whispered  together,  and  one  of 
them  came  up  to  her  and  took  her  by  the  hand  and 
said,  "  If  you  won't  go  home  to  your  mother,  go  for- 
ward, go  forward ;  mind  you  take  the  right  road. 
Ask  Four  Feet  to  carry  you  to  No  Feet  at  all,  and 
tell  No  Feet  at  all  to  carry  you  to  the  stairs  without 
steps,  and  if  you  can  climb  that " 

"  Oh,  shall  I  be  among  the  stars  in  the  sky  then  ?" 
cried  the  lassie. 

"  If  you  '11  not  be,  then  you  '11  be  elsewhere,"  said 
the  Good  Folk,  and  set  to  dancing  again. 

So  on  she  went  again  with  a  light  heart,  and  by- 
and-by  she  came  to  a  saddled  horse,  tied  to  a  tree. 


The  Stars  in  the  Sky  179 

"  Goode'en  to  ye,  Beast,"  said  she  ;  "  I  'm  seeking 
the  stars  in  the  sky  to  play  with.  Will  you  give  me 
a  lift,  for  all  my  bones  are  an-aching." 

"  Nay,"  said  the  horse,  "  I  know  nought  of  the 
stars  in  the  sky,  and  I  'm  here  to  do  the  bidding  of 
the  Good  Folk,  and  not  my  own  will." 

"Well,"  said  she,  "it's  from  the  Good  Folk  I 
come,  and  they  bade  me  tell  Four  Feet  to  carry  me 
to  No  Feet  at  all." 

"That's  another  story,"  said  he;  "jump  up  and 
ride  with  me." 

So  they  rode  and  they  rode  and  they  rode,  till  they 
£ot  out  of  the  forest  and  found  themselves  at  the 
edge  of  the  sea.  And  on  the  water  in  front  of  them 
was  a  wide  glistening  path  running  straight  out 
towards  a  beautiful  thing  that  rose  out  of  the  water 
and  went  up  into  the  sky,  and  was  all  the  colours 
in  the  world,  blue  and  red  and  green,  and  wonderful  to 
look  at. 

"  Now  get  you  down,"  said  the  horse ;  "  I  Ve 
brought  ye  to  the  end  of  the  land,  and  that's  as 
much  as  Four  Feet  can  do.  I  must  away  home  to 
my  own  folk." 

"But,"  said  the  lassie,  " where 's  No  Feet  at  all, 
and  where  's  the  stair  without  steps?" 

"  I  know  not,"  said  the  horse,  "  it 's  none  of  my 
business  neither.  So  goode'en  to  ye,  my  bonny 
lassie  ; "  and  off  he  went. 

So  the  lassie  stood  still  and  looked  at  the  water, 
till  a  strange  kind  of  fish  came  swimming  up  to  her 
feet. 


r8o 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


"  Goode'en  to  ye,  big  Fish,"  says  she,  "  I  'm  looking 
for  the  stars  in  the  sky,  and  for  the  stairs  that  climb 
up  to  them.  Will  ye  show  me  the  way  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  said  the  Fish,  "  I  can't  unless  you  bring 
me  word  from  the  Good  Folk." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  she.  "  They  said  Four  Feet 
would  bring  me  to  No  Feet  at  all,  and  No  Feet  at 
all  would  carry  me  to  the  stairs  without  steps." 


"Ah,  well,"  said  the  Fish;  "that's  all  right  then. 
Get  on  my  back  and  hold  fast." 

And  off  he  went — Kerplash  ! — into  the  water, 
along  the  silver  path,  towards  the  bright  arch.  And 
the  nearer  they  came  the  brighter  the  sheen  of  it,  till 
she  had  to  shade  her  eyes  from  the  light,  of  it. 


The  Stars  in  the  Sky  181 

And  as  they  came  to  the  foot  of  it,  she  saw  it  was 
a  broad  bright  road,  sloping  up  and  away  into  the 
sky,  and  at  the  far,  far  end  of  it  she  could  see  wee 
shining  things  dancing  about. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Fish,  "here  you  are,  and  yon's 
the  stair ;  climb  up,  if  you  can,  but  hold  on  fast.  I  '11 
warrant  you  find  the  stair  easier  at  home  than  by 
stich  a  way;  'twas  ne'er  meant  for  lassies'  feet  to 
Jravel ; "  and  off  he  splashed  through  the  water. 

So  she  clomb  and  she  clomb  and  she  clomb,  but 
ne'er  a  step  higher  did  she  get :  the  light  was  before 
her  and  around  her,  and  the  water  behind  her,  and 
the  more  she  struggled  the  more  she  was  forced 
down  into  the  dark  and  the  cold,  and  the  more  she 
clomb  the  deeper  she  fell. 

But  she  clomb  and  she  clomb,  till  she  got  dizzy  in 
the  light  and  shivered  with  the  cold,  and  dazed  with 
the  fear ;  but  still  she  clomb,  till  at  last,  quite  dazed 
and  silly-like,  she  let  clean  go,  and  sank  down — 
down — down. 

And  bang  she  came  on  to  the  hard  boards,  and 
found  herself  sitting,  weeping  and  wailing,  by  the 
bedside  at  home  all  alone. 


News! 

MR.  G.     Ha !  Steward,  how  are  you,  my  old  boy  I 
How  do  things  go  on  at  home  ? 
STEWARD.     Bad  enough,  your  honour ;   the 
magpie 's  dead ! 

MR.  G.     Poor  mag  !  so  he's  gone.     How  came  he 
to  die  ? 

STEWARD.     Over-ate  himself,  Sir. 

MR.  G.     Did  he  indeed  ?    a  greedy   dog.     Why, 
what  did  he  get  that  he  liked  so  well  ? 

STEWARD.     Horseflesh  ;  he  died  of  eating   horse- 
flesh. 

MR.  G.     How  came  he  to  get  so  much  horseflesh  ? 

STEWARD.     All  your  father's  horses,  Sir. 

MR.  G.     What !  are  they  dead  too  ? 

STEWARD.     Ay,  Sir  ;  they  died  of  over-work. 

MR.  G.     And  why  were  they  over-worked? 

STEWARD.     To  carry  water,  Sir. 

MR.  G.    To  carry  water,  and  what  were  they  carry- 
ing water  for  ? 

STEWARD.     Sure,  Sir,  to  put  out  the  fire. 

MR.  G.     Fire  !  what  fire  ? 

STEWARD.    Your  father's  house  is  burned  down  to 
the  ground. 


News!  183 

MR.  G.  My  father's  house  burnt  down  !  and  how 
came  it  to  be  on  fire  ? 

STEWARD.  I  think,  Sir,  it  must  have  been  the 
torches. 

MR.  G.     Torches !  what  torches  ? 

STEWARD.     At  your  mother's  funeral. 

MR.  G.     My  mother  dead  ? 

STEWARD.  Ay,  poor  lady,  she  never  looked  up 
after  it. 

MR.  G.     After  what  ? 

STEWARD.     The  loss  of  your  father. 

MR.  G.     My  father  gone  too  ? 

STEWARD.  Yes,  poor  gentleman,  he  took  to  his  bed 
as  soon  as  he  heard  of  it. 

MR.  G.     Heard  of  what  ? 

STEWARD.    The  bad  news,  an'  it  please  your  honour, 

MR.  G.     What?  more  miseries,  more  bad  news! 

STEWARD.  Yes,  Sir,  your  bank  has  failed,  your 
credit  is  lost  and  you  're  not  worth  a  shilling  in  the 
world.  I  make  bold,  Sir,  to  come  and  wait  on  you 
about  it;  for  I  thought  you  would  like  to  hear 
the  news. 


Puddock,  Mousie,  and   Ratton 

THERE  lived  a  Puddock  in  a  well, 
And  a  merry  Mousie  in  a  mill. 

Puddock  he  would  a-wooing  rid 
Sword  and  pistol  by  his  side. 

Puddock  came  to  the  Mousie's  inn, 
"  Mistress  Mousie,  are  you  within  ?  " 

MOUSIE. 

"  Yes,  kind  Sir,  I  am  within, 
Softly  do  I  sit  and  spin." 

PUDDOCK. 

"  Madam,  I  am  come  to  woo, 
Marriage  I  must  have  of  you." 

MOUSIE. 

"  Marriage  I  will  grant  you  none 
Till  Uncle  Ratton  he  comes  home." 

184 


Puddock,  Mousie,  and  Ratton          185 

PUDDOCK. 

"  See,  Uncle  Ratton  's  now  come  in 
Then  go  and  bask  the  bride  within." 

Who  is  it  that  sits  next  the  wall 

But  Lady  Mousie  both  slim  and  small  ? 

Who  is  it  that  sits  next  the  bride 
But  Lord  Puddock  with  yellow  side  ? 

But  soon  came  Duckie  and  with  her  Sir  Drake ; 
Duckie  takes  Puddock  and  makes  him  squeak. 

Then  came  in  the  old  carl  cat 
With  a  fiddle  on  his  back : 
"  Do  ye  any  music  lack  ?  " 

Puddock  he  swam  down  the  brook, 
Sir  Drake  he  catched  him  in  his  fluke. 

The  cat  he  pulled  Lord  Ratton  down, 
The  kittens  they  did  claw  his  crown. 

But  Lady  Mousie,  so  slim  and  small, 

Crept  into  a  hole  beneath  the  wall  ; 

"  Squeak,"  quoth  she,  "  I  'm  out  of  it  all." 


The  Little  Bull-Calf 

CENTURIES  of  years  ago,  when  almost  all  this 
part  of  the  country  was  wilderness,  there  was 
a  little  boy,  who  lived  in  a  poor  bit  of  pro- 
perty and  his  father  gave  him  a  little  bull-calf,  and 
with  it  he  gave  him  everything  he  wanted  for  it. 

But  soon  after  his  father  died,  and  his  mother  got 
married  again  to  a  man  that  turned  out  to  be  a  very 
vicious  step-father,  who  could  n't  abide  the  little  boy. 
So  at  last  the  step-father  said :  "If  you  bring  that 
bull-calf  into  this  house,  I  '11  kill  it."  What  a  villain 
he  was,  was  n't  he  ? 

Now  this  little  boy  used  to  go  out  and  feed  his 
bull-calf  every  day  with  barley  bread,  and  when  he 
did  so  this  time,  an  old  man  came  up  to  him — we  can 
guess  who  that  was,  eh? — and  said  to  him:  "You 
and  your  bull-calf  had  better  go  away  and  seek  your 
fortune." 

So  he  went  on  and  he  went  on  and  he  went  on,  as 
far  as  I  could  tell  you  till  to-morrow  night,  and  he 
went  up  to  a  farmhouse  and  begged  a  crust  of  bread, 
and  when  he  got  back  he  broke  it  in  two  and  gave 
half  of  it  to  the  bull-calf.  And  he  went  to  another 

186 


The  Little  Bull-Calf  187 

house  and  begged  a  bit  of  cheese  crud,  and  when  he 
went  back  he  wanted  to  give  half  of  it  to  the  bull- 
calf.  "  No,"  says  the  bull-calf,  "  I  'm  going  across 
the  field,  into  the  wild-wood  wilderness  country, 
where  there  '11  be  tigers,  leopards,  wolves,  monkeys, 
and  a  fiery  dragon,  and  I  '11  kill  them  all  except  the 
fiery  dragon,  and  he  '11  kill  me." 

The  little  boy  did  cry,  and  said  :  "  Oh,  no,  my  little 
bull-calf ;  I  hope  he  won't  kill  you." 

"Yes,  he  will,"  said  the  little  bull-calf,  "so  you 
climb  up  that  tree,  so  that  no  one  can  come  nigh  you 
but  the  monkeys,  and  if  they  come  the  cheese  crud 
will  save  you.  And  when  I  'm  killed,  the  dragon  will 
go  away  for  a  bit,  then  you  must  come  down  the  tree 
and  skin  me,  and  take  out  my  bladder  and  blow  it 
out,  and  it  will  kill  everything  you  hit  with  it.  So 
when  the  fiery  dragon  comes  back,  you  hit  it  with  my 
bladder  and  cut  its  tongue  out." 

(We  know  there  were  fiery  dragons  in  those  days, 
like  George  and  his  dragon  in  the  legend  ;  but,  there  ! 
it 's  not  the  same  world  nowadays.  The  world  is 
turned  topsy-turvy  since  then,  like  as  if  you  'd  turn  it 
over  with  a  spade  ! ) 

Of  course,  he  did  all  the  little  bull-calf  told  him. 
He  climbed  up  the  tree,  and  the  monkeys  climbed 
up  the  tree  after  him.  But  he  held  the  cheese  crud 
in  his  hand,  and  said  :  "  I  '11  squeeze  your  heart  like 
the  flint-stone."  So  the  monkey  cocked  his  eye  as  much 
as  to  say  :  "  If  you  can  squeeze  a  flint-stone  to  make 
the  juice  come  out  of  it,  you  can  squeeze  me."  But  he 
did  n't  say  anything,  for  a  monkey  's  cunning,  but 


1 88  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

down  he  went.  And  all  the  while  the  little  bull-calf 
was  fighting  all  the  wild  beasts  on  the  ground,  and  the 
little  lad  was  clapping  his  hands  up  the  tree,  and  call- 
ing out :  "  Go  in,  my  little  bull-calf !  Well  fought, 
little  bull-calf  !  "  And  he  mastered  everything  except 
the  fiery  dragon,  but  the  fiery  dragon  killed  the  little 
bull-calf. 

But  the  lad  waited  and  waited  till  he  saw  the  dragon 
go  away,  then  he  came  down  and  skinned  the  little 
bull-calf,  and  took  out  its  bladder  and  went  after  the 
dragon.  And  as  he  went  on,  what  should  he  see  but  a 
king's  daughter,  staked  down  by  the  hair  of  her  head, 
for  she  had  been  put  there  for  the  dragon  to  destroy 
her. 

So  he  went  up  and  untied  her  hair,  but  she  said : 
"  My  time  has  come  for  the  dragon  to  destroy  me ; 
go  away,  you  can  do  no  good."  But  he  said  :  "  No  ! 
I  can  master  it,  and  I  won't  go "  ;  and  for  all  her 
begging  and  praying  he  would  stop. 

And  soon  he  heard  it  coming,  roaring  and  raging 
from  afar  off,  and  at  last  it  came  near,  spitting  fire, 
and  with  a  tongue  like  a  great  spear,  and  you  could 
hear  it  roaring  for  miles,  and  it  was  making  for  the 
place  where  the  king's  daughter  was  staked  down. 
But  when  it  came  up  to  them,  the  lad  just  hit  it  on 
the  head  with  the  bladder  and  the  dragon  fell  down 
dead,  but  before  it  died,  it  bit  off  the  little  boy's 
forefinger. 

Then  the  lad  cut  out  the  dragon's  tongue  and  said 
to  the  king's  daughter :  "  I  've  done  all  I  can,  I  must 
leave  you."  And  sorry  she  was  he  had  to  go,  and 


THE  LITTLE  BULL-CALF 


1 90  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

before  he  went  she  tied  a  diamond  ring  in  his  hair, 
and  said  good-bye  to  him. 

By-and-by,  who  should  come  along  but  the  old 
king,  lamenting  and  weeping,  expecting  to  see  no- 
thing of  his  daughter  but  the  prints  of  the  place  where 
she  had  been.  But  he  was  surprised  to  find  her 
there  alive  and  safe,  and  he  said  :  "  How  came  you  to 
be  saved  ?  "  So  she  told  him  how  she  had  been  saved, 
and  he  took  her  home  to  his  castle  again. 

Well,  he  put  it  into  all  the  papers  to  find  out  who 
saved  his  daughter,  and  who  had  the  dragon's  tongue 
and  the  princess's  diamond  ring,  and  was  without  his 
forefinger.  Whoever  could  show  these  signs  should 
marry  his  daughter  and  have  his  kingdom  after  his 
death.  Well,  any  number  of  gentlemen  came  from 
all  parts  of  England,  with  forefingers  cut  off,  and 
with  diamond  rings  and  all  kinds  of  tongues,  wild 
beasts'  tongues  and  foreign  tongues.  But  they 
could  n't  show  any  dragons'  tongues,  so  they  were 
turned  away. 

At  last  the  little  boy  turned  up,  looking  very  ragged 
and  desolated  like,  and  the  king's  daughter  cast  her 
eye  on  him,  till  her  father  grew  very  angry  and 
ordered  them  to  turn  the  little  beggar  boy  away. 
"  Father,"  says  she ;  "  I  know  something  of  that 
boy." 

Well,  still  the  fine  gentlemen  came,  bringing  up 
their  dragons'  tongues  that  were  n't  dragons'  tongues, 
and  at  last  the  little  boy  came  up,  dressed  a  little 
better.  So  the  old  king  says  :  "  I  see  you  've  got  an 
eye  on  that  boy.  If  it  has  to  be  him  it  must  be  him." 


The  Little  Bull-Calf  191 

But  all  the  others  were  fit  to  kill  him,  and  cried 
out :  "  Pooh,  pooh,  turn  that  boy  out,  it  can't  be 
him."  But  the  king  said  :  "  Now,  my  boy,  let 's  see 
what  you  have  to  show."  Well,  he  showed  the  dia- 
mond ring  with  her  name  on  it,  and  the  fiery  dragon's 
tongue.  How  the  others  were  thunderstruck  when 
he  showed  his  proofs  !  But  the  king  told  him  :  "  You 
shall  have  my  daughter  and  my  estate." 

So  he  married  the  princess,  and  afterwards  got  the 
king's  estate.  Then  his  step-father  came  and  wanted 
to  own  him,  but  the  young  king  did  n't  know  such 
a  man. 


The  Wee,  Wee  Mannie 

ONCE  upon  a  time,  when  all  big  folks  were,  wee 
ones  and  all  lies  were  true,  there  was  a  wee, 
wee  Mannie  that  had  a  big,  big  Coo.     And 
out  he  went  to  milk  her  of  a  morning,  and  said — 

"  Hold  still,  my  Coo,  my  hinny, 

Hold  still,  my  hinny,  my  Coo, 

And  ye  shall  have  for  your  dinner 

What  but  a  milk  white  doo." 

But  the  big,  big  Coo  would  n't  hold  still.     "  Hout  I" 
said  the  wee,  wee  Mannie — 

"  Hold  still,  my  Coo,  my  dearie, 
And  fill  my  bucket  wi'  milk, 
And  if  ye  '11  be  no  contrairy 
I  '11  gi'e  ye  a  gown  o'  silk." 

But  the  big,  big  Coo  would  n't  hold  still.     "  Look  at 
that,  now  ! "  said  the  wee,  wee  Mannie — 

"  What 's  a  wee,  wee  mannie  to  do, 
Wi'  such  ^  bi^r  contrairy  Coo  ?  " 


The  Wee,  Wee  Mannie  193 

So  off  he  went  to  his  mother  at  the  house.  "  Mother," 
said  he,  "  Coo  won't  stand  still,  and  wee,  wee  Mannie 
can't  milk  big,  big  Coo." 

"Hout!"  says  his  mother,  "take  stick  and  beat 
Coo." 

So  off  he  went  to  get  a  stick  from  the  tree,  and 
said — 

"  Break,  stick,  break, 
And  I  '11  gi'e  ye  a  cake." 

But  the  stick  would  n't  break,  so  back  he  went  to 
the  house.  "  Mother,"  says  he,  "  Coo  won't  hold 
still,  stick  won't  break,  wee,  wee  Mannie  can't  beat 
big,  big  Coo." 

"  Hout ! "  says  his  mother,  "go  to  the  Butcher  and 
bid  him  kill  Coo." 

So  off  he  went  to  the  Butcher,  and  said — 

"  Butcher,  kill  the  big,  big  Coo, 
She  '11  gi'e  us  no  more  milk  noo." 

But  the  Butcher  would  n't  kill  the  Coo  without  a  sil- 
ver penny,  so  back  the  Mannie  went  to  the  house. 
"  Mother,"  says  he,  "  Coo  won't  hold  still,  stick  won't 
break,  Butcher  won't  kill  without  a  silver  penny,  and 
wee,  wee  Mannie  can't  milk  big,  big  Coo." 

"Well,"  said  his  mother,  "go  to  the  Coo  and  tell 
her  there  's  a  weary,  weary  lady  with  long  yellow 
hair  weeping  for  a  cup  o'  milk." 

So  off  he  went  and  told  the  Coo,  but  she  would  o't 
hold  still,  so  back  he  went  and  told  his  mother. 


194  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  tell  the  Coo  there  's  a  fine,  fine 
laddie  from  the  wars  sitting  by  the  weary,  weary  lady 
with  golden  hair,  and  she  weeping  for  a  sup  o'  milk." 

So  off  he  went  and  told  the  Coo,  but  she  would  n't 
hold  still,  so  back  he  went  and  told  his  mother. 

"Well,"  said  his  mother,  "tell  the  big,  big  Coo 
there's  a  sharp,  sharp  sword  at  the  belt  of  the  fine, 
fine  laddie  from  the  wars  who  sits  beside  the  weary, 
weary  lady  with  the  golden  hair,  and  she  weeping  for 
a  sup  o'  milk." 

And  he  told  the  big,  big  Coo,  but  she  would  n't 
hold  still. 

Then  said  his  mother,  "  Run  quick  and  tell  her  that 
her  head  's  going  to  be  cut  off  by  the  sharp,  sharp 
sword  in  the  hands  of  the  fine,  fine  laddie,  if  she 
does  n't  give  the  sup  o'  milk  the  weary,  weary  lady 
weeps  for. 

And  wee,  wee  Mannie  went  off  and  told  the  big, 
big  Coo. 

And  when  Coo  saw  the  glint  of  the  sharp,  sharp 
sword  in  the  hand  of  the  fine,  fine  laddie  come  from 
the  wars,  and  the  weary,  weary  lady  weeping  for  a 
sup  o'  milk,  she  reckoned  she  'd  better  hold  still ;  so 
wee,  wee  Mannie  milked  big,  big  Coo,  and  the 
weary,  weary  lady  with  the  golden  hair  hushed  her 
weeping  and  got  her  sup  o'  milk,  and  the  fine,  fine 
laddie  new  come  from  the  wars  put  by  his  sharp, 
sharp  sword,  and  all  went  well  that  did  n't  go  ill. 


Habetrot  and  Scantlie  Mab 


A  WOMAN   had   one  fair  daughter,   who  loved 
play    better    than    work,    wandering    in    the 
meadows  and  lanes  better  than  the  spinning- 
wheel  and  distaff.     The  mother  was  heartily  vexed 
at  this,  for  in  those  days  no  lassie  had  any  chance  of  a 
good  husband  unless  she  was  an  industrious  spinster. 
So  she  coaxed,  threatened,  even  beat  her  daughter, 
but  all  to  no  purpose ;   the  girl  remained  what  her 
mother  called  her,  "  an  idle  cuttie." 

At  last,  one  spring  morning,  the  gudewife  gave 
her  seven  heads  of  lint,  saying  she  would  take  no  ex- 
cuse ;  they  must  be  returned  in  three  days  spun  into 
yarn.  The  girl  saw  her  mother  was  in  earnest,  so 
she  plied  her  distaff  as  well  as  she  could  ;  but  her 
hands  were  all  untaught,  and  by  the  evening  of  the 
second  day  only  a  very  small  part  of  her  task  was  done. 
She  cried  herself  to  sleep  that  night,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing, throwing  aside  her  work  in  despair,  she  strolled 
out  into  the  fields,  all  sparkling  with  dew.  At  last 
she  reached  a  knoll,  at  whose  feet  ran  a  little  burn, 
shaded  with  woodbine  and  wild  roses ;  and  there  she 
sat  down,  burying  her  face  in  her  hands.  When  she 
looked  up,  she  was  surprised  to  see  by  the  margin  of 

.195 


196  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

the  stream  an  old  woman,  quite  unknown  to  her, 
drawing  out  the  thread  as  she  basked  in  the  sun. 
There  was  nothing  very  remarkable  in  her  appear- 
ance, except  the  length  and  thickness  of  her  lips, 
only  she  was  seated  on  a  self-bored  stone.  The  girl 
rose,  went  to  the  good  dame,  and  gave  her  a  friendly 
greeting,  but  could  not  help  inquiring  "What  makes 
you  so  long  lipped?" 

"  Spinning  thread,  my  hinnie,"  said  the  old  woman, 
pleased  with  her.  "  I  wet  my  fingers  with  my  lips, 
as  I  draw  the  thread  from  the  distaff." 

"Ah!"  said  the  girl,  "I  should  be  spinning  too, 
but  it 's  all  to  no  purpose.  I  shall  ne'er  do  my  task : " 
on  which  the  old  woman  proposed  to  do  it  for  her. 
Overjoyed,  the  maiden  ran  to  fetch  her  lint,  and 
placed  it  in  her  new  friend's  hand,  asking  where  she 
should  call  for  the  yarn  in  the  evening ;  but  she 
received  no  reply ;  the  old  woman  passed  away  from 
her  among  the  trees  and  bushes.  The  girl,  much 
bewildered,  wandered  about  a  little,  sat  down  to  rest, 
and  finally  fell  asleep  by  the  little  knoll. 

When  she  awoke  she  was  surprised  to  find  that  it 
was  evening.  Causleen,  the  evening  star,  was  beam- 
ing with  silvery  light,  soon  to  be  lost  in  the  moon's 
splendour.  While  watching  these  changes,  the  maiden 
was  startled  by  the  sound  of  an  uncouth  voice,  which 
seemed  to  issue  from  below  the  self-bored  stone,  close 
beside  her.  She  laid  her  ear  to  the  stone  and  heard 
the  words :  "  Hurry  up,  Scantlie  Mab,  for  I  Ve 
promised  the  yarn  and  Habetrot  always  keeps  her 
promise."  Then  looking  down  the  hole  saw  her 


Habetrot  and  Scantlie  Mab  197 

friend,  the  old  dame,  walking  backwards  and  for- 
wards in  a  deep  cavern  among  a  group  of  spinsters 
all  seated  on  colludie  stones,  and  busy  with  distaff 
and  spindle.  An  ugly  company  they  were,  with  lips 
more  or  less  disfigured,  like  old  Habetrot's.  An- 
other of  the  sisterhood,  who  sat  in  a  distant  corner 
reeling  the  yarn,  was  marked,  in  addition,  by  grey 
eyes,  which  seemed  starting  from  her  head,  and  a 
long  hooked  nose. 

While  the  girl  was  still  watching,  she  heard  Habe- 
trot address  this  dame  by  the  name  of  Scantlie  Mab, 
and  say,  "  Bundle  up  the  yarn,  it  is  time  the  young 
lassie  should  give  it  to  her  mother."  Delighted  to 
hear  this,  the  girl  got  up  and  returned  homewards. 
Habetrot  soon  overtook  her,  and  placed  the  yarn  in 
her  hands.  "  Oh,  what  can  I  do  for  ye  in  return?" 
exclaimed  she,  in  delight.  "  Nothing — nothing,"  re- 
plied the  dame  ;  "  but  dinna  tell  your  mother  who  spun 
the  yarn." 

Scarcely  believing  her  eyes,  the  girl  went  home, 
where  she  found  her  mother  had  been  busy  making 
sausters,  and  hanging  them  up  in  the  chimney  to  dry, 
and  then,  tired  out,  had  retired  to  rest.  Finding  her- 
self very  hungry  after  her  long  day  on  the  knoll,  the 
girl  took  down  pudding  after  pudding,  fried  and  ate 
them,  and  at  last  went  to  bed  too.  The  mother  was 
up  first  the  next  morning,  and  when  she  came  into 
the  kitchen  and  found  her  sausters  all  gone,  and  the 
seven  hanks  of  yarn  lying  beautifully  smooth  and 
bright  upon  the  table,  she  ran  out  of  the  house 
wildly,  crying  out — 


198  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  My  daughter 's  spun  seven,  seven,  seven, 
My  daughter 's  eaten  seven,  seven,  seven, 
And  all  before  daylight." 

A  laird  who  chanced  to  be  riding  by,  heard  the 
exclamation,  but  could  not  understand  it ;  so  he  rode 
up  and  asked  the  gudewife  what  was  the  matter,  on 
which  she  broke  out  again — 

"  My  daughter  's  spun  seven,  seven,  seven, 
My  daughter  's  eaten  seven,  seven,  seven 

before  daylight ;  and  if  ye  dinna  believe  me,  why 
come  in  and  see  it."  The  laird,  he  alighted  and  went 
into  the  cottage,  where  he  saw  the  yarn,  and  admired 
it  so  much  he  begged  to  see  the  spinner. 

The  mother  dragged  in  her  girl.  He  vowed  he 
was  lonely  without  a  wife,  and  had  long  been  in 
search  of  one  who  was  a  good  spinner.  So  their 
troth  was  plighted,  and  the  wedding  took  place  soon 
afterwards,  though  the  bride  was  in  great  fear  that 
she  should  not  prove  so  clever  at  her  spinning-wheel 
as  he  expected.  But  old  Dame  Habetrot  came  to 
her  aid.  "  Bring  your  bonny  bridegroom  to  my 
cell,"  said  she  to  the  young  bride  soon  after  her 
marriage ;  "  he  shall  see  what  comes  o'  spinning,  and 
never  will  he  tie  you  to  the  spinning-wheel." 

Accordingly  the  bride  led  her  husband  the  next 
day  to  the  flowery  knoll,  and  bade  him  look  through 
the  self-bored  stone.  Great  was  his  surprise  to 
behold  Habetrot  dancing  and  jumping  over  her  rock, 
singing  all  the  time  this  ditty  to  her  sisterhood,  while 
they  kept  time  with  their  spindles  : — 


Habetrot  and  Scantlie  Mab 


199 


"  We  who  live  in  dreary  den, 

Are  both  rank  and  foul  to  see; 
Hidden  from  the  glorious  sun, 

That  teems  the  fair  earth's  canopie : 
Ever  must  our  evenings  lone 
Be  spent  on  the  colludie  stone. 

"  Cheerless  is  the  evening  grey 

When  Causleen  hath  died  away, 
But  ever  bright  and  ever  fair 

Are  they  who  breathe  this  evening  air, 
And  lean  upon  the  self-bored  stone 
Unseen  by  all  but  me  alone." 


The  song  ended,  Scantlie  Mab  asked  Habetrot 
what  she  meant  by  the  last  line,  "  Unseen  by  all  but 
me  alone." 


200  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"There  is  one,"  replied  Habetrot,  "whom  I  bid  to 
come  here  at  this  hour,  and  he  has  heard  my  song 
through  the  self-bored  stone."  So  saying  she  rose, 
opened  another  door,  which  was  concealed  by  the 
roots  of  an  old  tree,  and  invited  the  pair  to  come  in 
and  see  her  family. 

The  laird  was  astonished  at  the  weird-looking 
company,  as  he  well  might  be,  and  inquired  of  one 
after  another  the  cause  of  their  strange  lips.  In  a 
different  tone  of  voice,  and  with  a  different  twist  of 
the  mouth,  each  answered  that  it  was  occasioned  by 
spinning.  At  least  they  tried  to  say  so,  but  one 
grunted  out  "  Nakasind,"  and  another  "  Owkasaand," 
while  a  third  murmured  "  O-a-a-send."  All,  however, 
made  the  bridegroom  understand  what  was  the  cause 
of  their  ugliness ;  while  Habetrot  slily  hinted  that  if 
his  wife  were  allowed  to  spin,  her  pretty  lips  would 
grow  out  of  shape  too,  and  her  pretty  face  get  an 
ugsome  look.  So  before  he  left  the  cave  he  vowed 
that  his  little  wife  should  never  touch  a  spinning- 
wheel,  and  he  kept  his  word.  She  used  to  wander  in 
the  meadows  by  his  side,  or  ride  behind  him  over  the 
hills,  but  all  the  flax  grown  on  his  land  was  sent  to 
old  Habetrot  to  be  converted  into  yarn. 


T 


Old  Mother  Wiggle- Waggle 

H  E  fox  and  his  wife  they  had  a  great  strife, 
They  never  ate  mustard  in  all  their  whole  life  ; 
They  ate  their  meat  without  fork  or  knife 

And  loved  to  be  picking  a  bone,  e-ho  ! 


The  fox  went  out,  one  still,  clear  night, 
And  he  prayed  the  moon  to  give  him  light, 
For  he  'd  a  long  way  to  travel  that  night, 
Before  he  got  back  to  his  den-o  ! 

The  fox  when  he  came  to  yonder  stile, 
He  lifted  his  lugs  and  he  listened  a  while ! 
"  Oh,  ho  ! "  said  the  fox,  "  it 's  but  a  short  mile 
From  this  unto  yonder  wee  town,  e-ho  ! " 

And  first  he  arrived  at  a  farmer's  yard, 

Where  the  ducks  and  the  geese  declared  it  was  hard, 

That  their  nerves  should  be  shaken  and  their  rest 

should  be  marred 
By  the  visits  of  Mister  Fox-o ! 

The  fox  when  he  came  to  the  farmer's  gate, 
Who  should  he  see  but  the  farmer's  drake ; 

2CI 


202  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  I  love  you  well  for  your  master's  sake, 
And  long  to  be  picking  your  bones,  e-ho  ! " 

The  grey  goose  she  ran  round  the  hay-stack, 
"  Oh,  ho  ! "  said  the  fox,  "  you  are  very  fat ; 
You  '11  grease  my  beard  and  ride  on  my  back 
From  this  into  yonder  wee  town,  e-ho  ! " 

Then  he  took  the  grey  goose  by  her  sleeve, 
And  said  :  "  Madam  Grey  Goose,  by  your  leave 
I  '11  take  you  away  without  reprieve, 
And  carry  you  back  to  my  den-o ! " 

And  he  seized  the  black  duck  by  the  neck, 
And  slung  him  all  across  his  back, 
The  black  duck  cried  out  "  quack,  quack,  quack," 
With  his  legs  all  dangling  down-o  ! 

Old  Mother  Wiggle- Waggle  hopped  out  of  bed, 
Out  of  the  window  she  popped  her  old  head ; 
"  Oh  !  husband,  oh  !  husband,  the  grey  goose  is  gone, 
And  the  fox  is  off  to  his  den,  oh  ! " 

Then  the  old  man  got  up  in  his  red  cap, 
And  swore  he  would  catch  the  fox  in  a  trap ; 
But  the  fox  was  too  cunning,  and  gave  him  the 
And  ran  through  the  town,  the  town,  oh  ! 

When  he  got  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
He  blew  his  trumpet  both  loud  and  shrill, 
For  joy  that  he  was  safe  and  sound 
Through  the  town,  oh  ! 


Old  Mother  Wiggle- Waggle  203 

But  at  last  he  arrived  at  his  home  again, 
To  his  dear  little  foxes,  eight,  nine,  ten, 
Says  he  "  You  're  in  luck,  here  's  a  fine  fat  duck 
With  his  legs  all  dangling  down-o  ! " 

So  he  sat  down  together  with  his  hungry  wife, 
And  they  did  very  well  without  fork  or  knife, 
They  never  ate  a  better  duck  in  all  their  life, 
And  the  little  ones  picked  the  bones-o  1 


Catskin 

WELL,  there  was  once  a  gentleman  who  had 
fine  lands  and  houses,  and  he  very  much 
wanted  to  have  a  son  to  be  heir  to  them. 
So  when  his  wife  brought  him  a  daughter,  bonny  as 
bonny  could  be,  he  cared  nought  for  her,  and  said, 
"  Let  me  never  see  her  face." 

So  she  grew  up  a  bonny  girl,  though  her  father 
never  set  eyes  on  her  till  she  was  fifteen  years  old  and 
was  ready  to  be  married.  But  her  father  said,  "  Let 
her  marry  the  first  that  comes  for  her."  And  when  this 
was  known,  who  should  be  first  but  a  nasty  rough  old 
man.  So  she  did  n't  know  what  to  do,  and  went  to 
the  henwife  and  asked  her  advice.  The  henwife 
said,  "  Say  you  will  not  take  him  unless  they  give 
you  a  coat  of  silver  cloth."  Well,  they  gave  her  a 
coat  of  silver  cloth,  but  she  would  n't  take  him  for  all 
that,  but  went  again  to  the  henwife,  who  said,  "  Say 
you  will  not  take  him  unless  they  give  you  a  coat  of 
beaten  gold."  Well,  they  gave  her  a  coat  of  beaten 
gold,  but  still  she  would  not  take  him,  but  went  to  the 
henwife,  who  said,  "  Say  you  will  not  take  him  unless 

they  give  you  a  coat  made  of  the  feathers  of  all  the 

204 


Catskin  205 

birds  of  the  air."  So  they  sent  a  man  with  a  great 
heap  of  pease  ;  and  the  man  cried  to  all  the  birds  of 
the  air,  "  Each  bird  take  a  pea,  and  put  down  a 
feather."  So  each  bird  took  a  pea  and  put  down  one 
of  its  feathers :  and  they  took  all  the  feathers  and 
made  a  coat  of  them  and  gave  it  to  her ;  but  still  she 
would  not,  but  asked  the  henwife  once  again,  who 
said,  "  Say  they  must  first  make  you  a  coat  of  cat- 
skin."  So  they  made  her  a  coat  of  catskin  ;  and  she 
put  it  on,  and  tied  up  her  other  coats,  and  ran  away 
into  the  woods. 

So  she  went  along  and  went  along  and  went  along, 
till  she  came  to  the  end  of  the  wood,  and  saw  a  fine 
castle.  So  there  she  hid  her  fine  dresses,  and  went 
up  to  the  castle  gates,  and  asked  for  work.  The 
lady  of  the  castle  saw  her,  and  told  her,  "  I  'm  sorry  I 
have  no  better  place,  but  if  you  like  you  may  be  our 
scullion."  So  down  she  went  into  the  kitchen,  and 
they  called  her  Catskin,  because  of  her  dress.  But 
the  cook  was  very  cruel  to  her  and  led  her  a  sad  life. 

Well,  it  happened  soon  after  that  the  young  lord  of 
the  castle  was  coming  home,  and  there  was  to  be  a  grand 
ball  in  honour  of  the  occasion.  And  when  they  were 
speaking  about  it  among  the  servants,  "  Dear  me,  Mrs. 
Cook,"  said  Catskin,  "  how  much  I  should  like  to  go." 

"  What !  you  dirty  impudent  slut,"  said  the  cook, 
"  you  go  among  all  the  fine  lords  and  ladies  with  your 
filthy  catskin  ?  a  fine  figure  you  'd  cut ! "  and  with 
that  she  took  a  basin  of  water  and  dashed  it  into  Cat- 
skin's  face.  But  she  only  briskly  shook  her  ears,  and 
said  nothing. 


206  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

When  the  day  of  the  ball  arrived,  Catskin  slipped 
out  of  the  house  and  went  to  the  edge  of  the  forest 
where  she  had  hidden  her  dresses.  So  she  bathed 
herself  in  a  crystal  waterfall,  and  then  put  on  her  coat 
of  silver  cloth,  and  hastened  away  to  the  ball.  As 
soon  as  she  entered  all  were  overcome  by  her  beauty 
and  grace,  while  the  young  lord  at  once  lost  his  heart 
to  her.  He  asked  her  to  be  his  partner  for  the  first 
dance,  and  he  would  dance  with  none  other  the  live- 
long night. 

When  it  came  to  parting  time,  the  young  lord  said, 
"  Pray  tell  me,  fair  maid,  where  you  live."  But  Cat- 
skin  curtsied  and  said  : 

"  Kind  sir,  if  the  truth  I  must  tell, 
At  the  sign  of  the  '  Basin  of  Water'  I  dwell." 

Then  she  flew  from  the  castle  and  donned  her  cat- 
skin  robe  again,  and  slipped  into  the  scullery  again, 
unbeknown  to  the  cook. 

The  young  lord  went  the  very  next  day  to  his 
mother,  the  lady  of  the  castle,  and  declared  he  would 
wed  none  other  but  the  lady  of  the  silver  dress,  and 
would  never  rest  till  he  had  found  her.  So  another 
ball  was  soon  arranged  for  in  hope  that  the  beautiful 
maid  would  appear  again.  So  Catskin  said  to  the 
cook,  "  Oh,  how  I  should  like  to  go  ! "  Whereupon 
the  cook  screamed  out  in  a  rage,  "  What,  you,  you 
dirty  impudent  slut  !  you  would  cut  a  fine  figure 
among  all  the  fine  lords  and  ladies."  And  with  that 
she  up  with  a  ladle  and  broke  it  across  Catskin's 
back.  But  she  only  shook  her  ears,  and  ran  off  to  the 


Catskin  207 

forest,  where  she  first  of  all  bathed,  and  then  put  on 
her  coat  of  beaten  gold,  and  off  she  went  to  the 
ball-room. 

As  soon  as  she  entered  all  eyes  were  upon  her ;  and 
the  young  lord  soon  recognised  her  as  the  lady  of  the 
"  Basin  of  Water,"  and  claimed  her  hand  for  the  first 
dance,  and  did  not  leave  her  till  the  last.  When 
that  came,  he  again  asked  her  where  she  lived.  But 
all  that  she  would  say  was : 

"  Kind  sir,  if  the  truth  I  must  tell, 
At  the  sign  of  the  '  Broken  Ladle '  I  dwell." 

and  with  that  she  curtsied,  and  flew  from  the  ball,  off 
with  her  golden  robe,  on  with  her  catskin,  and  into 
the  scullery  without  the  cook's  knowing. 

Next  day  when  the  young  lord  could  not  find  where 
was  the  sign  of  the  "  Basin  of  Water,"  or  of  the  "Broken 
Ladle,"  he  begged  his  mother  to  have  another  grand 
ball,  so  that  he  might  meet  the  beautiful  maid  once 
more. 

All  happened  as  before.  Catskin  told  the  cook 
how  much  she  would  like  to  go  to  the  ball,  the  cook 
called  her  "a  dirty  slut,"  and  broke  the  skimmer 
across  her  head.  But  she  only  shook  her  ears,  and 
went  off  to  the  forest,  where  she  first  bathed  in  the 
crystal  spring,  and  then  donned  her  coat  of  feathers, 
and  so  off  to  the  ball-room. 

When  she  entered  every  one  was  surprised  at  so 
beautiful  a  face  and  form  dressed  in  so  rich  and 
rare  a  dress  ;  but  the  young  lord  soon  recognised  his 
beautiful  sweetheart,  and  would  dance  with  none  but 


208 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 


her  the  whole  evening.  When  the  ball  came  to  an 
end,  he  pressed  her  to  tell  him  where  she  lived,  but 
all  she  would  answer  was  : 

"  Kind  sir,  if  the  truth  I  must  tell, 
At  the  sign  of  the  '  Broken  Skimmer'  I  dwell;" 

and  with  that  she  curtsied,  and  was  off  to  the  forest. 

But   this   time   the    young   lord   followed   her,    and 

watched  her  change  her 
fine  dress  of  feathers  for 
her  catskin  dress,  and 
then  he  knew  her  for  his 
own  scullery-maid. 

Next  day  he  went  to 
his  mother,  the  lady  of  the 
castle,  and  told  her  that 
he  wished  to  marry  the 
scullery  -  maid,  Catskin. 
"  Never,"  said  the  lady, 
and  rushed  from  the 
room.  Well,  the  young 
lord  was  so  grieved  at 
that,  that  he  took  to  his 
bed  and  was  very  ill. 
The  doctor  tried  to  cure 
him,  but  he  would  not 
take  any  medicine  unless 
from  the  hands  of  Cat- 
skin.  So  the  doctor 
went  to  the  lady  of  the 

castle,  and  told  her  her  son  would  die  if  she  did  not 


Catskin  209 

consent  to  his  marriage  with  Catskin.  So  she  had 
to  give  way,  and  summoned  Catskin  to  her.  But  she 
put  on  her  coat  of  beaten  gold,  and  went  to  the  lady, 
who  soon  was  glad  to  wed  her  son  to  so  beautiful  a 
maid. 

Well,  so  they  were  married,  and  after  a  time  a  dear 
little  son  came  to  them,  and  grew  up  a  bonny  lad  ;  and 
one  day,  when  he  was  four  years  old,  a  beggar  woman 
came  to  the  door,  so  Lady  Catskin  gave  some  money 
to  the  little  lord  and  told  him  to  go  and  give  it  to  the 
beggar  woman.  So  he  went  and  gave  it,  but  put  it 
into  the  hand  of  the  woman's  child,  who  leant  forward 
and  kissed  the  little  lord.  Now  the  wicked  old  cook 
— why  had  n't  she  been  sent  away  ? — was  looking  on, 
so  she  said,  "  Only  see  how  beggars'  brats  take  to  one 
another."  This  insult  went  to  Catskin's  heart,  so  she 
went  to  her  husband,  the  young  lord,  and  told  him  all 
about  her  father,  and  begged  he  would  go  and  find 
out  what  had  become  of  her  parents.  So  they  set 
out  in  the  lord's  grand  coach,  and  travelled  through 
the  forest  till  they  came  to  Catskin's  father's  house, 
and  put  up  at  an  inn  near,  where  Catskin  stopped, 
while  her  husband  went  to  see  if  her  father  would 
own  her. 

Now  her  father  had  never  had  any  other  child,  and 
his  wife  had  died  ;  so  he  was  all  alone  in  the  world 
and  sate  moping  and  miserable.  When  the  young 
lord  came  in  he  hardly  looked  up,  till  he  saw  a  chair 
close  up  to  him,  and  asked  him  :  "  Pray,  sir,  had  you 
not  once  a  young  daughter  whom  you  would  never 
see  or  own  ?  " 


210  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

The  old  gentleman  said  :  "It  is  true  ;  I  am  a  hard- 
ened sinner.  But  I  would  give  all  my  worldly  goods 
if  I  could  but  see  her  once  before  I  die."  Then  the 
young  lord  told  him  what  had  happened  to  Catskin, 
and  took  him  to  the  inn,  and  brought  his  father-in- 
law  to  his  own  castle,  where  they  lived  happy  ever 
afterwards. 


Stupid's   Cries 

THERE  was  once  a  little  boy,  and  his  mother 
sent  him  to  buy  a  sheep's  head  and  pluck  ; 
afraid  he  should  forget  it,  the  lad  kept  saying 
all  the  way  along : 

"  Sheep's  head  and  pluck ! 
Sheep's  head  and  pluck !  " 

Trudging  along,  he  came  to  a  stile ;  but  in  getting 
over  he  fell  and  hurt  himself,  and  beginning  to 
blubber,  forgot  what  he  was  sent  for.  So  he  stood  a 
little  while  to  consider  :  at  last  he  thought  he  recol- 
lected it,  and  began  to  repeat : 

"  Liver  and  lights  and  gall  and  all ! 
Liver  and  lights  and  gall  and  all ! " 

Away  he  went  again,  and  came  to  where  a  man  had 
a  pain  in  his  liver,  bawling  out : 

"  Liver  and  lights  and  gall  and  all ! 
Liver  and  lights  and  gall  and  all ! " 

Whereon  the  man  laid  hold  of  him  and  beat  him, 
bidding  him  say  : 

211 


212  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  Pray  God  send  no  more  ! 
Pray  God  send  no  more !  " 

The  youngster  strode  along,  uttering  these  words,  till 
he  reached  a  field  where  a  hind  was  sowing  wheat : 

"  Pray  God  send  no  more ! 
Pray  God  send  no  more ! " 

This  was  all  his  cry.  So  the  sower  began  to  thrash 
him,  and  charged  him  to  repeat : 

"  Pray  God  send  plenty  more  ! 
Pray  God  send  plenty  more  ! " 

Off  the  child  scampered  with  these  words  in  his 
mouth  till  he  reached  a  churchyard  and  met  a  funeral, 
but  he  went  on  with  his : 

"  Pray  God  send  plenty  more! 
Pray  God  send  plenty  more ! " 

The  chief  mourner  seized  and  punished  him,  and 
bade  him  repeat : 

"  Pray  God  send  the  soul  to  heaven  ! 
Pray  God  send  the  soul  to  heaven  ! " 

Away  went  the  boy,  and  met  a  dog  and  a  cat  going 
to  be  hung,  but  his  cry  rang  out : 

"  Pray  God  send  the  soul  to  heaven ! 
Pray  God  send  the  soul  to  heaven ! " 

The  good  folk  nearly  were  furious,  seized  and  struck 
him,  charging  him  to  say : 


Stupid's  Cries  213 

"  A  dog  and  a  cat  agoing  to  be  hung ! 
A  dog  and  a  cat  agoing  to  be  hung !  " 

This  the  poor  fellow  did,  till  he  overtook  a  man  and 
a  woman  going  to  be  married.  "  Oh  !  oh ! "  he 
shouted : 

"A  dog  and  a  cat  agoing  to  be  hung! 
A  dog  and  a  cat  agoing  to  be  hung ! " 

The  man  was  enraged,  as  we  may  well  think,  gave 
him  many  a  thump,  and  ordered  him  to  repeat : 

"  I  wish  you  much  joy  ! 
I  wish  you  much  joy !  " 

This  he  did,  jogging  along,  till  he  came  to  two 
labourers  who  had  fallen  into  a  ditch.  The  lad  kept 
bawling  out : 

"  I  wish  you  much  joy ! 
I  wish  you  much  joy !  " 

This  vexed  one  of  the  folk  so  sorely  that  he  used  all 
his  strength,  scrambled  out,  beat  the  crier,  and  told 
him  to  say. 

"  The  one  is  out,  I  wish  the  other  was ! 
The  one  is  out,  I  wish  the  other  was ! " 

On  went  young  'un  till  he  found  a  fellow  with  only 
one  eye ;  but  he  kept  up  his  song : 

"  The  one  is  out,  I  wish  the  other  was! 
The  one  is  out,  I  wish  the  other  was ! " 


214  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

This  was  too  much  for  Master  One-eye,  who  grabbed 
him  and  chastised  him,  bidding  him  call : 

"  The  one  side  gives  good  light,  I  wish  the  other  did ! 
The  one  side  gives  good  light,  I  wish  the  other  did ! " 

So  he  did,  to  be  sure,  till  he  came  to  a  house,  one 
side  of  which  was  on  fire.  The  people  here  thought 
it  was  he  who  had  set  the  place  a-blazing,  and 
straightway  put  him  in  prison.  The  end  was,  the 
judge  put  on  his  black  cap,  and  condemned  him  to 
die. 


The  Lambton  Worm 

A  WILD  young  fellow  was  the  heir  of  Lambton, 
the  fine  estate  and  hall  by  the  side  of  the 
swift-flowing  Wear.      Not  a  Mass  would  he 
hear  in  Brugeford  Chapel  of  a  Sunday,  but  a-fishing 
he  would  go.     And  if  he  did  not  haul   in   anything, 
his  curses  could  be  heard  by  the  folk  as  they  went  by 
to  Brugeford. 

Well,  one  Sunday  morning  he  was  fishing  as  usual, 
and  not  a  salmon  had  risen  to  him,  his  basket  was 
bare  of  roach  or  dace.  And  the  worse  his  luck,  the 
worse  grew  his  language,  till  the  passers-by  were 
horrified  at  his  words  as  they  went  to  listen  to  the 
Mass-priest. 

At  last  young  Lambton  felt  a  mighty  tug  at  his 
line.  "  At  last,"  quoth  he,  "  a  bite  worth  having!" 
and  he  pulled  and  he  pulled,  till  what  should  appear 
above  the  water  but  a  head  like  an  elf's,  with  nine 
holes  on  each  side  of  its  mouth.  But  still  he  pulled 
till  he  had  got  the  thing  to  land,  when  it  turned  out 
to  be  a  Worm  of  hideous  shape.  If  he  had  cursed 
before,  his  curses  were  enough  to  raise  the  hair  on 
your  head. 

215 


2i6  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  What  ails  thee,  my  son  ? "  said  a  voice  by  his 
side,  "  and  what  hast  thou  caught,  that  thou  shouldst 
stain  the  Lord's  Day  with  such  foul  language  ?  " 

Looking  round,  young  Lambton  saw  a  strange  old 
man  standing  by  him. 

"  Why,  truly,"  he  said,  "  I  think  I  have  caught 
the  devil  himself.  Look  you  and  see  if  you  know 
him." 

But  the  stranger  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  It 
bodes  no  good  to  thee  or  thine  to  bring  such  a 
monster  to  shore.  Yet  cast  him  not  back  into  the 
Wear ;  thou  has  caught  him,  and  thou  must  keep 
him,"  and  with  that  away  he  turned,  and  was  seen  no 
more. 

The  young  heir  of  Lambton  took  up  the  gruesome 
thing,  and,  taking  it  off  his  hook,  cast  it  into  a  well 
close  by,  and  ever  since  that  day  that  well  has  gone 
by  the  name  of  the  Worm  Well. 

For  some  time  nothing  more  was  seen  or  heard  of 
the  Worm,  till  one  day  it  had  outgrown  the  size  of 
the  well,  and  came  forth  full-grown.  So  it  came 
forth  from  the  well  and  betook  itself  to  the  Wear. 
And  all  day  long  it  would  lie  coiled  round  a  rock  in 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  while  at  night  it  came  forth 
from  the  river  and  harried  the  country  side.  It 
sucked  the  cows'  milk,  devoured  the  lambs,  worried 
the  cattle,  and  frightened  all  the  women  and  girls 
of  the  district,  and  then  it  would  retire  for  the  rest 
of  the  night  to  the  hill,  still  called  the  Worm  Hill,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Wear,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Lambton  Hall. 


The  Lambton  Worm  217 

This  terrible  visitation  brought  young  Lambton,  of 
Lambton  Hall,  to  his  senses.  He  took  upon  himself 
the  vows  of  the  Cross,  and  departed  for  the  Holy 
Land,  in  the  hope  that  the  scourge  he  had  brought 
upon  his  district  would  disappear.  But  the  grisly 
Worm  took  no  heed,  except  that  it  crossed  the  river 
and  came  right  up  to  Lambton  Hall  itself  where  the 
old  lord  lived  on  all  alone,  his  only  son  having  gone 
to  the  Holy  Land.  What  to  do  ?  The  Worm  was 
coming  closer  and  closer  to  the  Hall ;  women  were 
shrieking,  men  were  gathering  weapons,  dogs  were 
barking  and  horses  neighing  with  terror.  At  last 
the  steward  called  out  to  the  dairy  maids,  "  Bring  all 
your  milk  hither,"  and  when  they  did  so,  and  had 
brought  all  the  milk  that  the  nine  kye  of  the  byre 
had  yielded,  he  poured  it  all  into  the  long  stone 
trough  in  front  of  the  Hall. 

The  Worm  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  till  at  last  it 
came  up  to  the  trough.  But  when  it  sniffed  the  milk, 
it  turned  aside  to  the  trough  and  swallowed  all  the 
milk  up,  and  then  slowly  turned  round  and  crossed 
the  river  Wear,  and  coiled  its  bulk  three  times  round 
the  Worm  Hill  for  the  night. 

Henceforth  the  Worm  would  cross  the  river  every 
day,  and  woe  betide  the  Hall  if  the  trough  contained 
the  milk  of  less  than  nine  kye.  The  Worm  would 
hiss,  and  would  rave,  and  lash  its  tail  round  the  trees 
of  the  park,  and  in  its  fury  it  would  uproot  the 
stoutest  oaks  and  the  loftiest  firs.  So  it  went  on  for 
seven  years.  Many  tried  to  destroy  the  Worm,  but 
all  had  failed,  and  many  a  knight  had  lost  his  life 


218  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

in  fighting  with  the  monster,  which  slowly  crushed 
the  life  out  of  all  that  came  near  it. 

At  last  the  Childe  of  Lambton  came  home  to  his 
father's  Hall,  after  seven  long  years  spent  in  medita- 
tion and  repentance  on  holy  soil.  Sad  and  desolate 
he  found  his  folk :  the  lands  untilled,  the  farms 
deserted,  half  the  trees  of  the  park  uprooted,  for 
none  would  stay  to  tend  the  nine  kye  that  the 
monster  needed  for  his  food  each  day. 

The  Childe  sought  his  father,  and  begged  his  for- 
giveness for  the  curse  he  had  brought  on  the  Hall. 

"  Thy  sin  is  pardoned,"  said  his  father ;  "  but  go 
thou  to  the  Wise  Woman  of  Brugeford,  and  find  if 
aught  can  free  us  from  this  monster." 

To  the  Wise  Woman  went  the  Childe,  and  asked 
her  advice. 

"  T  is  thy  fault,  O  Childe,  for  which  we  suffer,"  she 
said  ;  "be  it  thine  to  release  us." 

"  I  would  give  my  life,"  said  the  Childe. 

"  Mayhap  thou  wilt  do  so,"  said  she.  "  But  hear 
me,  and  mark  me  well.  Thou,  and  thou  alone,  canst 
kill  the  Worm.  But,  to  this  end,  go  thou  to  the 
smithy  and  have  thy  armour  studded  with  spear- 
heads. Then  go  to  the  Worm's  Rock  in  the  Wear, 
and  station  thyself  there.  Then,  when  the  Worm 
comes  to  the  Rock  at  dawn  of  day,  try  thy  prowess 
on  him,  and  God  gi  'e  thee  a  good  deliverance." 

"  This  I  will  do,"  said  Childe  Lambton. 

"  But  one  thing  more,"  said  the  Wise  Woman,  go- 
ing back  to  her  cell.  "  If  thou  slay  the  Worm,  swear 
that  thou  wilt  put  to  death  the  first  thing  that  meets 


220  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

thee  as  thou  Grossest  again  the  threshold  of  Lambton 
Hall.  Do  this,  and  all  will  be  well  with  thee  and 
thine.  Fulfil  not  thou  vow,  and  none  of  the  Lamb- 
tons,  for  generations  three  times  three,  shall  die  in 
his  bed.  Swear,  and  fail  not." 

The  Childe  swore  as  the  Wise  Woman  bid,  and 
went  his  way  to  the  stithy.  There  he  had  his  armour 
studded  with  spear-heads  all  over.  Then  he  passed 
his  vigils  in  Brugeford  Chapel,  and  at  dawn  of  day 
took  his  post  on  the  Worm's  Rock  in  the  River  Wear. 

As  dawn  broke,  the  Worm  uncoiled  its  snaky 
twine  from  around  the  hill,  and  came  to  its  rock  in 
the  river.  When  it  perceived  the  Childe  waiting  for 
it,  it  lashed  the  waters  in  its  fury  and  wound  its  coils 
round  the  Childe,  and  then  attempted  to  crush  him 
to  death.  But  the  more  it  pressed,  the  deeper  dug 
the  spear-heads  into  its  sides.  Still  it  pressed  and 
pressed,  till  all  the  water  around  was  crimsoned  with  its 
blood.  Then  the  Worm  unwound  itself,  and  left  the 
Childe  free  to  use  his  sword.  He  raised  it,  brought 
it  down,  and  cut  the  Worm  in  two.  One  half  fell  into 
the  river,  and  was  carried  swiftly  away.  Once  more 
the  head  and  the  remainder  of  the  body  encircled  the 
Childe,  but  with  less  force,  and  the  spear-heads  did 
their  work.  At  last  the  Worm  uncoiled  itself,  snorted 
its  last  foam  of  blood  and  fire,  and  rolled  dying  into 
the  river,  and  was  never  seen  more. 

The  Childe  of  Lambton  swam  ashore,  and  raising 
his  bugle  to  his  lips,  sounded  its  note  thrice.  This 
was  the  signal  to  the  Hail,  where  the  servants  and  the 
old  lord  had  shut  themselves  in  to  pray  for  the  Childe's 


The  Lamb  ton  Worm  221 

success.  When  the  third  sound  of  the  bugle  was  heard, 
they  were  to  release  Boris,  the  Childe's  favourite 
hound.  But  such  was  their  joy  at  learning  of  the 
Childe's  safety  and  the  Worm's  defeat,  that  they  for- 
got orders,  and  when  the  Childe  reached  the  threshold 
of  the  Hall  his  old  father  rushed  out  to  meet  him,  and 
would  have  clasped  him  to  his  breast. 

"  The  vow !  the  vow ! "  cried  out  the  Childe  of 
Lambton,  and  blew  still  another  blast  upon  his  horn. 
This  time  the  servants  remembered,  and  released 
Boris,  who  came  bounding  to  his  young  master.  The 
Childe  raised  his  shining  sword,  and  severed  the  head 
of  his  faithful  hound. 

But  the  vow  was  broken,  and  for  nine  generations 
of  men  none  of  the  Lambtons  died  in  his  bed.  The 
last  of  the  Lambtons  died  in  his  carriage  as  he  was 
crossing  Brugeford  Bridge,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  ago. 


The  Wise  Men  of  Gotham 

Of  Buying  of  Sheep 

THERE  were  two  men  of  Gotham,  and  one  of 
them  was  going  to  market  to  Nottingham  to 
buy  sheep,  and  the  other  came  from  the 
market,  and  they  both  met  together  upon  Nottingham 
bridge. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  said  the  one  who  came 
from  Nottingham. 

"  Marry,"  said  he  that  was  going  to  Nottingham, 
"  I  am  going  to  buy  sheep." 

"  Buy  sheep  ?"  said  the  other,  "  and  which  way  will 
you  bring  them  home  ?  " 

"  Marry,"  said  the  other,  "I  will  bring  them  over 
this  bridge." 

"  By  Robin  Hood,"  said  he  that  came  from  Notting- 
ham, "  but  thou  shalt  not." 

"  By  Maid  Marion,"  said  he  that  was  going  thither, 
"but  I  win  " 


229 


The  Wise  Men  of  Gotham  223 

"You  will  not,"  said  the  one. 

"I  will." 

Then  they  beat  their  staves  against  the  ground  one 
against  the  other,  as  if  there  had  been  a  hundred 
sheep  between  them. 

"  Hold  in,"  said  one ;  "beware  lest  my  sheep  leap 
over  the  bridge." 

"  I  care  not,"  said  the  other ;  "  they  shall  not  come 
this  way." 

"  But  they  shall,"  said  the  other. 

Then  the  other  said  :  "  If  that  thou  make  much  to 
do,  I  will  put  my  fingers  in  thy  mouth." 

"  Will  you  ?"  said  the  other. 

Now,  as  they  were  at  their  contention,  another 
man  of  Gotham  came  from  the  market  with  a  sack  of 
meal  upon  a  horse,  and  seeing  and  hearing  his 
neighbours  at  strife  about  sheep,  though  there  were 
none  between  them,  said  : 

"Ah,  fools!  will  you  ever  learn  wisdom?  Help 
me,  and  lay  my  sack  upon  my  shoulders." 

They  did  so,  and  he  went  to  the  side  of  the  bridge, 
unloosened  the  mouth  of  the  sack,  and  shook  all  his 
meal  out  into  the  river. 

"  Now,  neighbours,"  he  said,  "  how  much  meal  is 
there  in  my  sack  ?  " 

"  Marry,"  said  they,  "  there  is  none  at  all." 

"  Now,  by  my  faith,"  said  he,  "  even  as  much  wit  as 
is  in  your  two  heads  to  stir  up  strife  about  a  thing 
you  have  not." 

Which  was  the  wisest  of  these  three  persons,  judge 
yourself. 


224 


More  English  Fairy  Tales 
Of  Hedging  a  Cuckoo 


Once  upon  a  time  the  men  of  Gotham  would  have 
kept  the  Cuckoo  so  that  she  might  sing  all  the  year, 
and  in  the  midst  of  their  town  they  made  a  hedge 
round  in  compass  and  they  got  a  Cuckoo,  and  put 


her  into  it,  and  said,  "  Sing  there  all  through  the 
year,  or  thou  shalt  have  neither  meat  nor  water." 
The  Cuckoo,  as  soon  as  she  perceived  herself  within 
the  hedge,  flew  away.  "  A  vengeance  on  her  ! "  said 
they.  "  We  did  not  make  our  hedge  high  enough." 

Of  Sending  Cheeses 

There  was  a  man  of  Gotham  who  went  to  the 
market  at  Nottingham  to  sell  cheese,  and  as  he  was 
going  down  the  hill  to  Nottingham  bridge,  one  of  his 
cheeses  fell  out  of  his  wallet  and  rolled  down  the  hill. 
"  Ah,  gaffer,"  said  the  fellow,  "  can  you  run  to  market 
alone?  I  will  send  one  after  another  after  you." 


The  Wise  Men  of  Gotham  225 

Then  he  laid  down  his  wallet  and  took  out  the  cheeses, 
and  rolled  them  down  the  hill.  Some  went  into  one 
oush;  and  some  went  into  another. 

"  I  charge  you  all  to  meet  me  near  the  market- 
place ; "  and  when  the  fellow  came  to  the  market  to 
meet  his  cheeses,  he  stayed  there  till  the  market  was 
nearly  done.  Then  he  went  about  to  inquire  of  his 
friends  and  neighbours,  and  other  men,  if  they  did 
see  his  cheeses  come  to  the  market. 

"  Who  should  bring  them  ?"  said  one  of  the  market 
men. 

"  Marry,  themselves,"  said  the  fellow;  "they  know 
the  way  well  enough." 

He  said,  "  A  vengeance  on  them  all.  I  did  fear, 
to  see  them  run  so  fast,  that  they  would  run  beyond 
the  market.  I  am  now  fully  persuaded  that  they 
must  be  now  almost  at  York."  Whereupon  he  forth- 
with hired  a  horse  to  ride  to  York,  to  seek  his 
cheeses  where  they  were  not,  but  to  this  day  no  man 
can  tell  him  of  his  cheeses. 

Of  Drowning  Eels 

When  Good  Friday  came,  the  men  of  Gotham  cast 
their  heads  together  what  to  do  with  their  white 
herrings,  their  red  herrings,  their  sprats,  and  other 
salt  fish.  One  consulted  with  the  other,  and  agreed 
that  such  fish  should  be  cast  into  their  pond  (which 
was  in  the  middle  of  the  town),  that  they  might 
breed  against  the  next  year,  and  every  man  that  had 
salt  fish  left  cast  them  into  the  pool. 

"  I  have  many  white  herrings,"  said  one. 


226  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

"  I  have  many  sprats,"  said  another. 

"  I  have  many  red  herrings,"  said  the  other. 

"  I  have  much  salt  fish.  Let  all  go  into  the  pond 
or  pool,  and  we  shall  fare  like  lords  next  year." 

At  the  beginning  of  next  year  following  the  men 
drew  near  the  pond  to  have  their  fish,  and  there  was 
nothing  but  a  great  eel.  "  Ah,"  said  they  all,  "  a 
mischief  on  this  eel,  for  he  has  eaten  up  all  our 
fish." 

"What  shall  we  do  to  him?"  said  one  to  the 
others. 

"  Kill  him,"  said  one. 

"  Chop  him  into  pieces,"  said  another.  "  Not  so," 
said  another ;  "let  us  drown  him." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  all.  And  they  went  to  another 
pond,  and  cast  the  eel  into  the  pond.  "  Lie  there 
and  shift  for  yourself,  for  no  help  thou  shalt  have 
from  us ; "  and  they  left  the  eel  to  drown. 

Of  Sending  Rent 

Once  on  a  time  the  men  of  Gotham  had  forgotten 
to  pay  their  landlord.  One  said  to  the  other,  "  To- 
morrow is  our  pay-day,  and  what  shall  we  find  to 
send  our  money  to  our  landlord?" 

The  one  said,  "  This  day  I  have  caught  a  hare,  and 
he  shall  carry  it,  for  he  is  light  of  foot." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  all ;  "  he  shall  have  a  letter  and  a 
purse  to  put  our  money  in,  and  we  shall  direct  him 
the  right  way."  So  when  the  letters  were  written 
and  the  money  put  in  a  purse,  they  tied  it  round  the 


The  Wise  Men  of  Gotham 


227 


hare's  neck,  saying,  "  First  you  go  to  Lancaster,  then 
thou  must  go  to  Loughborough,  and  Newarke  is  our 
landlord,  and  commend  us  to  him  and  there  is  his 
dues." 

The  hare,  as  soon  as  he  was 
out  of  their  hands,  ran  on  along 
the  country  way.  Some  cried, 
"  Thou  must  go  to  Lancaster 
first." 

"  Let  the  hare  alone,"  said  an- 
other ;  he  can  tell  a  nearer  way 
than  the  best  of  us  all.  Let  him 

go." 

Another  said,  "It  is  a  subtle  hare,  let  her  alone; 
she  will  not  keep  the  highway  for  fear  of  dogs." 

Of  Counting 

On  a  certain  time  there  were  twelve  men  of 
Gotham  who  went  fishing,  and  some  went  into  the 
water  and  some  on  dry  ground  ;  and,  as  they  were 
coming  back,  one  of  them  said,  "  We  have  ventured 
much  this  day  wading ;  I  pray  God  that  none  of  us 
that  did  come  from  home  be  drowned." 

"  Marry,"  said  one,  "  let  us  see  about  that.  Twelve 
of  us  came  out,"  and  every  man  did  count  eleven,  and 
the  twelfth  man  did  never  count  himself. 

"  Alas  !  "  said  one  to  another,  "one  of  us  is  drown- 
ed." They  went  back  to  the  brook  where  they  had 
been  fishing,  and  looked  up  and  down  for  him  that 
was  drowned,  and  made  great  lamentation.  A 


228  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

courtier  came  riding  by,  and  he  did  ask  what  they 
were  seeking,  and  why  they  were  so  sorrowful. 
"  Oh,"  said  they,  "  this  day  we  came  to  fish  in  this 
brook,  and  there  were  twelve  of  us,  and  one  is 
drowned." 

"  Why,"  said  the  courtier,  "  count  me  how  many  of 
you  there  be."  and  one  counted  eleven  and  did  not 
count  himself.  "  Well,"  said  the  courtier,  "  what  will 
you  give  me  if  I  find  the  twelfth  man  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  said  they,  "  all  the  money  we  have." 

"  Give  me  the  money,"  said  the  courtier ;  and  he 
began  with  the  first,  and  gave  him  a  whack  over  the 
shoulders  that  he  groaned,  and  said,  "  There  is  one," 
and  he  served  all  of  them  that  they  groaned ;  but 
when  he  came  to  the  last  he  gave  him  a  good  blow, 
saying,  "  Here  is  the  twelfth  man." 

"  God  bless  you  on  your  heart,"  said  all  the  com- 
pany ;  "  you  have  found  our  neighbour." 


Princess   of  Canterbury 

THERE  lived  formerly  in  the  County  of  Cum- 
berland a  nobleman  who  had  three  sons,  two 
of  whom  were  comely  and  clever  youths,  but 
the  other  a  natural  fool,  named  Jack,  who  was  gener- 
ally engaged  with  the  sheep  :  he  was  dressed  in  a  parti- 
coloured coat,  and  a  steeple-crowned  hat  with  a  tassel, 
as  became  his  condition.  Now  the  King  of  Canter- 
bury had  a  beautiful  daughter,  who  was  distinguished 
by  her  great  ingenuity  and  wit,  and  he  issued  a  decree 
that  whoever  should  answer  three  questions  put  to 
him  by  the  princess  should  have  her  in  marriage,  and 
be  heir  to  the  crown  at  his  decease.  Shortly  after 
this  decree  was  published,  news  of  it  reached  the 
ears  of  the  nobleman's  sons,  and  the  two  clever 
ones  determined  to  have  a  trial,  but  they  were 
sadly  at  a  loss  to  prevent  their  idiot  brother  from 
going  with  them.  They  could  not,  by  any  means, 
get  rid  of  him,  and  were  compelled  at  length  to 
let  Jack  accompany  them.  They  had  not  gone 
far,  before  Jack  shrieked  with  laughter,  saying, 
"  I  Ve  found  an  egg."  "  Put  it  in  your  pocket," 
said  the  brothers.  A  little  while  afterwards,  he 
burst  out  into  another  fit  of  laughter  on  finding 
a  crooked  hazel  stick,  which  he  also  put  in  his 

229 


230  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

pocket ;  and  a  third  time  he  again  laughed  ex- 
travagantly because  he  found  a  nut.  That  also  was 
put  with  his  other  treasures. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  palace,  they  were  imme- 
diately admitted  on  mentioning  the  nature  of  their 
business,  and  were  ushered  into  a  room  where  the 
princess  and  her  suite  were  sitting.  Jack,  who  never 
stood  on  ceremony,  bawled  out,  "What  a  troop  of 
fair  ladies  we  Ve  got  here  ! " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  princess,  "we  are  fair  ladies,  for 
we  carry  fire  in  our  bosoms." 

"Do  you?"  said  Jack,  "then  roast  me  an  egg," 
pulling  out  the  egg  from  his  pocket. 

"  How  will  you  get  it  out  again?"  said  the  princess. 

"  With  a  crooked  stick,"  replied  Jack,  producing 
the  hazel. 

"Where  did  that  come  from?"  said  the  princess. 

"From  a  nut,"  answered  Jack,  pulling  out  the  nut 
from  his  pocket.  "I  Ve  answered  the  three  ques- 
tions, and  now  I  '11  have  the  lady."  "  No,  no,"  said 
the  king,  "  not  so  fast.  You  have  still  an  ordeal  to 
go  through.  You  must  come  here  in  a  week's  time 
and  watch  for  one  whole  night  with  the  princess,  my 
daughter.  If  you  can  manage  to  keep  awake  the 
whole  night  long  you  shall  marry  her  next  day." 

"  But  if  I  can't  ?  "  said  Jack. 

"  Then  off  goes  your  head,"  said  the  king.  "  But 
you  need  not  try  unless  you  like." 

Well,  Jack  went  back  home  for  a  week,  and  thought 
over  whether  he  should  try  and  win  the  princess.  At 
last  he  made  up  his  mind.  "  Well,"  said  Jack,  "  I  '11 


Princess  of  Canterbury  231 

try  my  vorton ;  zo  now  vor  the  king's  daughter,  or  a 
headless  shepherd  ! " 

And  taking  his  bottle  and  bag,  he  trudged  to  the 
court.  In  his  way  thither,  he  was  obliged  to  cross  a 
river,  and  pulling  off  his  shoes  and  stockings,  while 
he  was  passing  over  he  observed  several  pretty  fish 
bobbing  against  his  feet ;  so  he  caught  some  and  put 
them  into  his  pocket.  When  he  reached  the  palace 
he  knocked  at  the  gate  loudly  with  his  crook,  and 
having  mentioned  the  object  of  his  visit,  he  was  im- 
mediately conducted  to  the  hall  where  the  king's 
daughter  sat  ready  prepared  to  see  her  lovers.  He 
was  placed  in  a  luxurious  chair,  and  rich  wines  and 
spices  were  set  before  him,  and  all  sorts  of  delicate 
meats.  Jack,  unused  to  such  fare,  ate  and  drank  plenti- 
fully, so  that  he  was  nearly  dozing  before  midnight. 

"  Oh,  shepherd,"  said  the  lady,  "  I  have  caught  you 
napping ! " 

"  Noa,  sweet  ally,  I  was  busy  a-feeshing." 

"  A  fishing,"  said  the  princess  in  the  utmost  aston- 
ishment :  "  Nay,  shepherd,  there  is  no  fish-pond  in 
the  hall." 

"  No  matter  vor  that,  I  have  been  fishing  in  my 
pocket,  and  have  just  caught  one." 

"  Oh  me ! "  said  she,  "  let  me  see  it." 

The  shepherd  slyly  drew  the  fish  out  of  his  pocket 
and  pretending  to  have  caught  it,  showed  it  her,  and 
she  declared  it  was  the  finest  she  ever  saw. 

About  half  an  hour  afterwards,  she  said,  "  Shep- 
herd, do  you  think  you  could  get  me  one  more  ?" 

He  replied,   "  Mayhap  I  may,  when  I  have  baited 


232  More  English  Fairy  Tales 

my  hook ; "  and  after  a  little  while  he  brought  out 
another,  which  was  finer  than  the  first,  and  the  prin- 
cess was  so  delighted  that  she  gave  him  leave  to  go 
to  sleep,  and  promised  to  excuse  him  to  her  father. 

In  the  morning  the  princess  told  the  king,  to  his 
great  astonishment,  that  Jack  must  not  be  beheaded, 
for  he  had  been  fishing  in  the  hall  all  night ;  but  when 
he  heard  how  Jack  had  caught  such  beautiful  fish  out 
of  his  pocket,  he  asked  him  to  catch  one  in  his  own. 

Jack  readily  undertook  the  task,  and  bidding  the 
king  lie  down,  he  pretended  to  fish  in  his  pocket, 
having  another  fish  concealed  ready  in  his  hand,  and 
giving  him  a  sly  prick  with  a  needle,  he  held  up  the 
fish,  and  showed  it  to  the  king. 

His  majesty  did  not  much  relish  the  operation,  but 
he  assented  to  the  marvel  of  it,  and  the  princess  and 
Jack  were  united  the  same  day,  and  lived  for  many 
years  in  happiness  and  prosperity. 


OYEZ-OYEZ-OYEZ      11 

THE-ENGLISH-FAIRY  TALES 


ARE-NOW-  CLOSED 

LITTLE-BOYS-AND-QIRLS 

M  U  S  T-  NOT-  RE  AD- AN  Y-  FURTHER 


Notes  and  References 


FOR  some  general  remarks  on  the  English  Folk-Tale  and 
previous  collectors,  I  must  refer  to  the  introductory  obser- 
vations added  to  the  Notes  and  References  of  English  Fairy 
Tales,  in  the  third  edition.  With  the  present  instalment 
the  tale  of  English  Fairy  Stories  that  are  likely  to  obtain 
currency  among  the  young  folk  is  complete.  I  do  not  know 
of  more  than  half-a-dozen  "outsiders"  that  deserve  to  rank 
with  those  included  in  my  two  volumes  which,  for  the  present, 
at  any  rate,  must  serve  as  the  best  substitute  that  can  be 
offered  for  an  English  Grimm.  I  do  not  despair  of  the  future. 
After  what  Miss  Fison  (who,  as  I  have  recently  learned,  was 
the  collector  of  Tom  Tit  Tot  and  Capo'  Rushes),  Mrs.  Balfour, 
and  Mrs.  Gomme  have  done  in  the  way  of  collecting  among 
the  folk,  we  may  still  hope  for  substantial  additions  to  our 
stock  to  be  garnered  by  ladies  from  the  less  frequented  por- 
tions of  English  soil.  And  from  the  United  States  we  have 
every  reason  to  expect  a  rich  harvest  to  be  gathered  by  Mr. 
W.  W.  Newell,  who  is  collecting  the  English  folk-tales  that  still 
remain  current  in  New  England.  If  his  forthcoming  book 
equals  in  charm,  scholarship,  and  thoroughness  his  delightful 
Games  and  Songs  of  American  Children,  the  Anglo-American 
folk-tale  will  be  enriched  indeed.  A  further  examination 
of  English  nursery  rhymes  may  result  in  some  additions 
to  our  stock.  I  reserve  these  for  separate  treatment  in 
which  I  am  especially  interested,  owing  to  the  relations  which 
J.  surmise  between  the  folk-tale  and  the  cante-fable. 


236  Notes  and  References 

Meanwhile  the  eighty-seven  tales  (representing  some  hun- 
dred and  twenty  variants)  in  my  two  volumes  must  repre- 
sent the  English  folk-tale  as  far  as  my  diligence  has  been 
able  to  preserve  it  at  this  end  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
There  is  every  indication  that  they  form  but  a  scanty  sur- 
vival of  the  whole  corpus  of  such  tales  which  must  have 
existed  in  this  country.  Of  the  seventy  European  story- 
radicles  which  I  have  enumerated  in  the  Folk-Lore  Society's 
Handbook,  pp.  117-35,  only  forty  are  represented  in  our  col- 
lection: I  have  little  doubt  that  the  majority  of  the  remain- 
ing thirty  or  so  also  existed  in  these  isles,  and  especially  in 
England.  If  I  had  reckoned  in  the  tales  current  in  the  Eng- 
lish pale  of  Ireland,  as  well  as  those  in  Lowland  Scots,  there 
would  have  been  even  less  missing.  The  result  of  my  investi- 
gations confirms  me  in  my  impression  that  the  scope  of  the 
English  folk-tale  should  include  all  those  current  among  the 
folk  in  English,  no  matter  where  spoken,  in  Ireland,  the  Low- 
lands, New  England,  or  Australia.  Wherever  there  is  com- 
munity of  language,  tales  can  spread,  and  it  is  more  likely 
that  tales  should  be  preserved  in  those  parts  where  English 
is  spoken  with  most  of  dialect.  Just  as  the  Anglo-Irish  Pale 
preserves  more  of  'the  pronunciation  of  Shakespeare's  time, 
so  it  is  probable  that  Anglo-Irish  stories  preserve  best  those 
current  in  Shakespeare's  time  in  English.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  possible  that  some,  nay  many,  of  the  Anglo-Irish  stories 
have  been  imported  from  the  Celtic  districts,  and  are  posi- 
tively folk- translations  from-  the  Gaelic.  Further  research  is 
required  to  determine  which  is  English  and  which  Celtic 
among  Anglo-Irish  folk-tales.  Meanwhile  my  collection  must 
stand  for  the  nucleus  of  the  English  folk-tale,  and  we  can  at 
any  rate  judge  of  its  general  spirit  and  tendencies  from  the 
eighty-seven  tales  now  before  the  reader. 

Of  these,  thirty-eight  are  marchen  proper,  i.  e.,  tales  with 
definite  plot  and  evolution;  ten  are  sagas  or  legends  locating 
romantic  stories  in  definite  localities;  no  less  than  nineteen 
are  drolls  or  comic  anecdotes;  four  are  cumulative  stories' 


Notes  and  References  237 

six  beast  tales ;  while  ten  are  merely  ingenious  nonsense  tales 
put  together  in  such  a  form  as  to  amuse  children.  The  pre- 
ponderance of  the  comic  element  is  marked,  and  it  is  clear 
that  humour  is  a  characteristic  of  the  English  folk.  The 
legends  are  not  of  a  very  romantic  kind,  and  the  marchen  are 
often  humorous  in  character.  So  that  a  certain  air  of  un- 
romance  is  given  by  such  a  collection  as  that  we  are  here  con- 
sidering. The  English  folk-muse  wears  homespun  and  plods 
afoot,  albeit  with  a  cheerful  smile  and  a  steady  gaze. 

Some  of  this  effect  is  produced  by  the  manner  in  which  the 
tales  are  told.  The  colloquial  manner  rarely  rises  to  the  dig- 
nified, and  the  essence  of  the  folk-tale  manner  in  English  is 
colloquial.  The  opening  formulae  are  varied  enough,  but  none 
of  them  has  much  play  of  fancy.  "Once  upon  a  time  and  a 
very  good  time  it  was,  though  it  was  n't  in  my  time  nor  in 
your  time  nor  in  any  one  else's  time,"  is  effective  enough  for 
a  fairy  epoch,  and  is  common,  according  to  May  hew  (London 
Labour,  iii.),  among  tramps.  \Ve  have  the  rhyming  formula: 

Once  upon  a  time  when  pigs  spoke  rhyme, 
And  monkeys  chewed  tobacco, 
And  hens  took  snuff  to  make  them  tough, 
And  ducks  went  quack,  quack,  quack  Oh! 

on  which  I  have  variants  not  so  refined.  Some  stories  start 
off  without  any  preliminary  formula,  or  with  a  simple  "Well, 

there  was  once  a ".    A  Scotch  formula  reported  by  Mrs. 

Balfour  runs,  "Once  on  a  time  when  a'  muckle  folk  were  wee 
and  a'  lees  were  true,"  while  Mr.  Lang  gives  us  "There  was 
a  king  and  a  queen  as  mony  ane's  been,  few  have  we  seen 
and  as  few  may  we  see."  Endings  of  stories  are  even  less 
varied.  "  So  they  married  and  lived  happy  ever  afterwards," 
comes  from  folk-tales,  not  from  novels.  "All  went  well  that 
did  n't  go  ill,"  is  a  somewhat  cynical  formula  given  by  Mrs. 
Balfour,  while  the  Scotch  have  "they  lived  happy  and  died 
happy,  and  never  drank  out  of  a  dry  cappie." 

In  the  course  of  the  tale,  the  chief  thing  to  be  noticed  is  the 


238  Notes  and  References 

occurrence  of  rhymes  in  the  prose  narrative,  tending  to  give 
the  appearance  of  a  cante-fable.  I  have  enumerated  those 
occurring  in  English  Fairy  Tales  in  the  notes  to  Childe  Row- 
land (No.  xxi.).  In  the  present  volume,  rhyme  occurs  in 
Nos.  xlvi.,  xlviii.,  xlix.,  Iviii.,  lx.,  Ixiii.  (see  Note),  Ixiv.,  Ixxiv., 
Ixxxi.,  Ixxxv.,  while  lv.,  Ixix.,  Ixxiii.,  Ixxvi.,  Ixxxiii.,  Ixxxiv., 
are  either  in  verse  themselves  or  derived  from  verse  versions. 
Altogether  one  third  of  our  collection  gives  evidence  in  favour 
of  the  cante-fable  theory  which  I  adduced  in  my  notes  to 
Childe  Rowland.  Another  point  of  interest  in  English  folk- 
narrative  is  the  repetition  of  verbs  of  motion,  "So  he  went 
along  and  went  along  and  went  along."  Still  more  curious  is 
a  frequent  change  of  tense  from  the  English  present  to  the 
past.  "So  he  gets  up  and  went  along."  All  this  helps  to 
give  the  colloquial  and  familiar  air  to  the  English  fairy-tale 
not  to  mention  the  dialectal  and  archaic  words  and  phrases 
which  occur  in  them. 

But  their  very  familiarity  and  colloquialism  make  them 
remarkably  effective  with  English-speaking  little  ones.  The 
rhythmical  phrases  stick  in  their  memories ;  they  can  remem- 
ber the  exact  phraseology  of  the  English  tales  much  better, 
I  find,  than  that  of  the  Grimms'  tales,  or  even  of  the  Celtic 
stories.  They  certainly  have  the  quality  of  coming  home  to 
English  children.  Perhaps  this  may  be  partly  due  to  the  fact 
that  a  larger  proportion  of  the  tales  are  of  native  manufac- 
ture. If  the  researches  contained  in  my  Notes  are  to  be 
trusted  only  i.-ix.,  xi.,  xvii.,  xxii.,  xxv.,  xxvi.,  xxvii.,  xliv.,  1., 
liv.,  lv.,  Iviii.,  Ixi.,  Ixii.,  Ixv.,  Ixvii.,  Ixxviii.,  Ixxxiv.,  Ixxxvii. 
were  imported;  nearly  all  the  remaining  sixty  are  home  pro- 
duce, and  have  their  roots  in  the  hearts  of  the  English  people 
which  naturally  respond  to  them. 

In  the  following  Notes,  I  have  continued  my  practice  of 
giving  (i)  Source  where  I  obtained  the  various  tales.  (2) 
Parallels,  so  far  as  possible,  in  full  for  the  British  Isles,  with 
bibliographical  references  when  they  can  be  found ;  for  occur- 
rences abroad  I  generally  refer  to  the  list  of  incidents  con- 


Notes  and  References  239 

tained  in  my  paper  read  before  the  International  Folk-Lore 
Congress  of  1891  and  republished  in  the  Transactions,  1892, 
pp.  87-98.  (3)  Remarks  where  the  tale  seems  to  need  them. 
I  have  mainly  been  on  the  search  for  signs  of  diffusion  rather 
than  of  "survivals"  of  antiquarian  interest,  though  I  trust  it 
will  be  found  I  have  not  neglected  these. 

XLIV.     THE  PIED  PIPER 

Source. — Abraham  Elder,  Tales  and  Legends  of  the  Isle  of 
Wight  (London,  1839),  pp.  157-164.  Mr.  Nutt,  who  has 
abridged  and  partly  rewritten  the  story  from  a  copy  of 
Elder's  book  in  his  possession,  has  introduced  a  couple  of 
touches  from  Browning. 

Parallels. — The  well-known  story  of  the  Pied  Piper  of  Ham- 
em  (Hamelin),  immortalised  by  Browning,  will  at  once  recur 
to  every  reader's  mind.  Before  Browning,  it  had  been  told  in 
English  in  books  as  well  known  as  Verstegan's  Restitution  of 
Decayed  Intelligence,  1605;  Howell's  Familiar  Letters  (see  my 
edition,  p.  357,  n.) ;  and  Wanley's  Wonders  of  the  Little  World. 
Browning  is  said  to  have  taken  it  from  the  last  source  (Fur- 
nivall,  Browning  Bibliography,  158),  though  there  are  touches 
which  seem  to  me  to  come  from  Howell  (see  my  note  ad  he.), 
while  it  is  not  impossible  he  may  have  come  across  Elder's 
book,  which  was  illustrated  by  Cruikshank.  The  Grimms 
give  the  legend  in  their  Deutsche  Sagen  (ed.  1816,  330-33), 
and  in  its  native  land  it  has  given  rise  to  an  elaborate  poem 
a  la  Scheffel  by  Julius  Wolff,  which  has  in  its  turn  been  the 
occasion  of  an  opera  by  Victor  Nessler.  Mrs.  Gutch,  in  an 
interesting  study  of  the  myth  in  Folk-Lore  iii.,  pp.  227-52, 
quotes  a  poem,  The  Sea  Piece,  published  by  Dr.  Kirkpatrick 
in  1750,  as  showing  that  a  similar  legend  was  told  of  the  Cave 
Hill,  Belfast. 

Here,  as  Tradition's  hoary  legend  tells, 
A  blinking  Piper  once  with  magic  Spells 
And  strains  beyond  a  vulgar  Bagpipe's  sounds 
Gathered  the  dancing  Country  wide  around. 


240  Notes  and  References 

When  hither  as  he  drew  the  tripping  Rear 
(Dreadful  to  think  and  difficult  to  swear!) 
The  gaping  Mountain  yawned  from  side  to  side, 
A  hideous  Cavern,  darksome,  deep,  and  wide; 
In  skipt  th'  exulting  Demon,  piping  loud, 
With  passive  joy  succeeded  by  the  Crowd. 

There  firm  and  instant  closed  the  greedy  Womb, 
Where  wide-born  Thousands  met  a  common  Tomb. 

Remarks. — Mr.  Baring-Gould,  in  his  Curious  Myths  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  has  explained  the  Pied  Piper  as  a  wind  myth; 
Mrs.  Gutch  is  inclined  to  think  there  may  be  a  substratum  of 
fact  at  the  root  of  the  legend,  basing  her  conclusions  on  a 
pamphlet  of  Dr.  Meinardus,  Der  historische  Kern,  which  I 
have  not  seen.  She  does  not,  however,  give  any  well-authen- 
ticated historical  event  at  Hameln  in  the  thirteenth  century 
which  could  have  plausibly  given  rise  to  the  legend,  nor  can 
I  find  any  in  the  Urkundenbuch  of  Hameln  (Luneberg,  1883). 
The  chief  question  of  interest  attaching  to  the  English  form 
of  the  legend  as  given  in  1839  by  Elder,  is  whether  it  is  inde- 
pendent of  the  German  myth.  It  does  not  occur  in  any  of 
the  local  histories  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  which  I  have  been 
able  to  consult  of  a  date  previous  to  Elder's  book — e.  g., 
J.  Hassel,  Tour  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  1790.  Mr.  Shore,  in  his 
History  of  Hampshire,  1891,  p.  185,  refers  to  the  legend,  but 
evidently  bases  his  reference  on  Elder,  and  so  with  all  the 
modern  references  I  have  seen.  Now  Elder  himself  quotes 
Verstegan  in  his  comments  on  the  legend,  pp.  168-9  and  note, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  conjecturing  that  he  adapted 
Verstegan  to  the  locality.  Newtown,  when  Hassel  visited  it  in 
1790,  had  only  six  or  seven  houses  (/.  c.,  i.,  137-8),  though  it 
had  the  privilege  of  returning  two  members  to  Parliament ;  it 
had  been  a  populous  town  by  the  name  of  Franchville  before 
the  French  invasion  of  the  island  of  temp.  Ric.  II.  It  is  just 
possible  that  there  may  have  been  a  local  legend  to  account 
for  the  depopulation  by  an  exodus  of  the  children.  But  the 
expression  "pied  piper"  which  Elder  used  clearly  came  from 


Notes  and  References  241 

Verstegan,  and  until  evidence  is  shown  to  the  contrary  the 
whole  of  the  legend  was  adapted  from  him.  It  is  not  with- 
out significance  that  Elder  was  writing  in  the  days  of  the 
Ingoldsby  Legends,  and  had  possibly  no  more  foundation  for 
the  localisation  of  his  stories  than  Barham. 

There  still  remains  the  curious  parallel  from  Belfast  to 
which  Mrs.  Gutch  has  drawn  attention.  Magic  pipers  are  not 
unknown  to  English  folk-lore,  as  in  the  Percy  ballad  of  The 
Frere  and  the  Boy,  or  in  the  nursery  rhyme  of  Tom  the  Piper's 
son  in  its  more  extended  form.  But  beguiling  into  a  mountain 
is  not  known  elsewhere  except  at  Hameln,  which  was  made 
widely  known  in  England  by  Verstegan's  and  Howell's  ac- 
counts, so  that  the  Belfast  variant  is  also  probably  to  be 
traced  to  the  Ratten  j  anger.  Here  again,  as  in  the  case  of 
Beddgellert  (Celtic  Fairy  Tales,  No..xxi.),  the  Blinded  Giant 
and  the  Pedlar  of  Swaffham  (infra,  Nos.  Ixi.,  Ixiii.),  we  have 
an  imported  legend  adapted  to  local  conditions. 

XLV.     HEREAFTERTHIS 

Source. — Sent  me  anonymously  soon  after  the  appearance 
of  English  Fairy  Tales.  From  a  gloss  in  the  MS.  "vitty"  = 
Devonian  for  "decent,"  I  conclude  the  tale  is  current  in 
Devon.  I  should  be  obliged  if  the  sender  would  communi- 
cate with  me. 

Parallels. — The  latter  part  has  a  certain  similarity  with 
"Jack  Hannaford"  (No.  viii.).  Halliwell's  story  of  the  miser 
who  kept  his  money  "for  luck"  (p.  153)  is  of  the  same  type. 
H  alii  well  remarks  that  the  tale  throws  light  on  a  passage  in 
Ben  Jonson: 

Say  we  are  robbed, 
If  any  come  to  borrow  a  spoon  or  so 
I  will  not  have  Good  Fortune  or  God's  Blessing 
Let  in,  while  I  am  busy. 

The  earlier  part  of  the  tale  has  resemblance  with  "  Lazy  Jack" 
(No.  xxvii.),  the  European  variants  of  which  are  given  by 


242  Notes  and  References 

M.  Cosquin,  Conies  de  Lorraine,  i.,  241.  Jan's  satisfaction 
with  his  wife's  blunders  is  also  European  (Cosquin,  /.  c.,  i., 
157).  On  minding  the  door  and  dispersing  robbers  by  its 
aid  see  "Mr.  Vinegar"  (No.  vi.). 

Remarks. — "  Hereafterthis  "  is  thus  a  melange  of  droll  inci- 
dents, yet  has  characteristic  folkish  touches  ("  can  you  milk-y, 
bake-y,"  "when  I  lived  home")  which  give  it  much  vivacity. 

</      XLVI.     THE  GOLDEN  BALL 

Source. — Contributed  to  the  first  edition  of  Henderson's 
Folk-Lore  of  the  Northern  Counties,  pp.  333-5,  by  Rev.  S. 
Baring-Gould. 

Parallels. — Mr.  Nutt  gave  a  version  in  Folk-Lore  Journal, 
vi.,  144.  The  man  in  instalments  occurs  in  "The  Strange 
Visitor"  (No.  xxxii.).  The  latter  part  of  the  tale  has  been 
turned  into  a  game  for  English  children,  "Mary  Brown," 
given  in  Miss  Plunket's  Merry  Games,  but  not  included  in 
Newell,  Games  and  Songs  of  American  Children. 

Remarks. — This  story  is  especially  interesting  as  having 
given  rise  to  a  game.  Capture  and  imprisonment  are  fre- 
quently the  gruesome  motif  of  children's  games,  as  in  "Pris- 
oner's base."  Here  it  has  been  used  with  romantic  effect. 

XLVII.     MY  OWN  SELF 

Source. — Told  to  Mrs.  Balfour  by  Mrs.  W.,  a  native  of 
North  Sunderland,  who  had  seen  the  cottage  and  heard  the 
tale  from  persons  who  had  known  the  widow  and  her  boy, 
and  had  got  the  story  direct  from  them.  The  title  was  "Me 
A'an  Sel',"  which  I  have  altered  to  "My  Own  Self." 

Parallels. — Notwithstanding  Mrs.  Balfour's  informant,  the 
same  tale  is  widely  spread  in  the  North  Country.  Hugh 
Miller  relates  it,  in  his  Scenes  from  my  Childhood,  as  "  Ainsel"; 
it  is  given  in  Mr.  Hartland's  English  Folk  and  Fairy  Tales; 
Mr.  F.  B.  Jevons  has  heard  it  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Dur- 
ham; while  a  further  version  appeared  in  Monthly  Chronicle 


Notes  and  References  243 

of  North  Country  Folk-Lore.  Further  parallels  abroad  are 
enumerated  by  Mr.  Clouston  in  his  Book  of  Noodles,  pp.  184-5, 
and  by  the  late  Prof.  Kohler  in  Orient  und  Occident,  ii.,  331. 
The  expedient  by  which  Ulysses  outwits  Polyphemus  in  the 
Odyssey  by  calling  himself  oims  is  clearly  of  the  same  order. 

Remarks. — The  parallel  with  the  Odyssey  suggests  the  pos- 
sibility that  this  is  the  ultimate  source  of  the  legend,  as  other 
parts  of  the  epic  have  been  adapted  to  local  requirements  in 
Great  Britain,  as  in  the  "  Blinded  Giant"  (No.  Ixi.),  or  "  ConaU 
Yellowclaw"  (Celtic  Fairy  Tales,  No.  v.).  The  fact  of  Con- 
tinental parallels  disposes  of  the  possibility  of  its  being  a 
merely  local  legend.  The  fairies  might  appear  to  be  in  a 
somewhat  novel  guise  here  as  something  to  be  afraid  of. 
But  this  is  the  usual  attitude  of  the  folk  towards  the  "Good 
People,"  as  indeed  their  euphemistic  name  really  implies. 

XLVIII.     THE  BLACK  BULL  OF  NORROWAY 

Source. — Chambers's  Popular  Rhymes  of  Scotland,  much 
Anglicised  in  language,  but  otherwise  unaltered. 

Parallels. — Chambers,  /.  c.,  gave  a  variant  with  the  title 
"The  Red  Bull  o'  Norroway."  Kennedy,  Legendary  Fictions, 
p.  87,  gives  a  variant  with  the  title  "The  Brown  Bear  of 
Norway."  Mr.  Stewart  gave  a  Lei  trim  version,  in  which 
"Norroway"  becomes  "Orange,"  in  Folk-Lore  for  June,  1893, 
which  Miss  Peacock  follows  up  with  a  Lincolnshire  parallel 
(showing  the  same  corruption  of  name)  in  the  September 
number.  A  reference  to  the  "  Black  Bull  o'  Norroway  "  occurs 
in  Sidney's  Arcadia,  as  also  in  the  Complaynt  of  Scotland,  1548. 
The  "  sale  of  bed  "  incident  at  the  end  has  been  bibliographised 
by  Miss  Cox  in  her  volume  of  variants  of  Cinderella,  p.  481. 
It  probably  existed  in  one  of  the  versions  of  Nix  Nought 
Nothing  (No.  vii.). 

Remarks. — The  Black  Bull  is  clearly  a  Beast  who  ulti- 
mately wins  a  Beauty.  But  the  tale  as  is  told  is  clearly  not 
sufficiently  motivated.  Miss  Peacock's  version  renders  it 
likely  that  a  fuller  account  may  vet  be  recovered  in  England 


244  Notes  and  References 

XLIX.     YALLERY  BROWN 

Source. — Mrs.  Balfour's  "  Legends  of  the  Lincolnshire  Fens,'5 
in  Folk-Lore,  ii.  It  was  told  to  Mrs.  Balfour  by  a  labourer, 
who  professed  to  be  the  hero  of  the  story,  and  related  it  in 
the  first  person.  I  have  given  him  a  name,  and  changed  the 
narration  into  the  oblique  narration,  and  toned  down  the 
dialect. 

Parallels. — "Tiddy  Mun,"  the  hero  of  another  of  Mrs.  Bal- 
four's legends  (/.  c.,  p.  151)  was  "none  bigger  'n  a  three  years 
old  bairn,"  and  had  no  proper  name. 

Remarks. — One  might  almost  suspect  Mrs.  Balfour  of  being 
the  victim  of  a  piece  of  invention  on  the  part  of  her  auto- 
biographical informant.  But  the  scrap  of  verse,  especially  in 
its  original  dialect,  has  such  a  folkish  ring  that  it  is  probable 
he  was  only  adapting  a  local  legend  to  his  own  circumstances. 

L.     THE  THREE  FEATHERS 

Source. — Collected  by  Mrs.  Gomme  from  some  hop-pickers 
near  Deptford. 

Parallels. — The  beginning  is  a  la  Cupid  and  Psyche,  on 
which  Mr.  Lang's  monograph  in  the  Carabas  series  is  the 
classic  authority.  The  remainder  is  an  Eastern  tale,  the 
peregrinations  of  which  have  been  studied  by  Mr.  Clouston  in 
his  Pop.  Tales  and  Fictions,  ii.,  289,  seq.  The  Wright's  Chaste 
Wife  is  the  English  fabliau  on  the  subject.  M.  Bedier,  in  his 
recent  work  on  Les  Fabliaux,  pp.  411-13,  denies  the  Eastern 
origin  of  the  fabliau,  but  in  his  Indiaphobia  M.  Bddier  is 
capable  de  tout.  In  the  Indian  version  the  various  mes- 
sengers are  sent  by  the  king  to  test  the  chastity  of  a  peerless 
wife  of  whom  he  has  heard.  The  incident  occurs  in  some 
versions  of  the  "Battle  of  the  Birds  "  story  (Celtic  Fairy  Tales, 
No.  xxiv.),  and  considering  the  wide  spread  of  this  in  the 
British  Isles,  it  was  possibly  from  this  source  that  it  came  to 
Deptford. 


Notes  and  References  245 

LI.     SIR  GAMMER  VANS 

Source. — Halliwell's  Nursery  Rhymes  and  Tales. 

Parallels. — There  is  a  Yorkshire  Lying  Tale  in  Henderson's 
Folk-Lore,  first  edition,  p.  337,  a  Suffolk  one,  "  Happy  Borz'l," 
in  Suffolk  Notes  and  Queries,  while  a  similar  jingle  of  incon- 
sequent absurdities,  commencing  "So  he  died,  and  she  un- 
luckily married  the  barber,  and  a  great  bear  coming  up  the 
street  popped  his  head  into  the  window,  saying,  'Do  you  sell 
any  soap'?"  is  said  to  have  been  invented  by  Charles  James 
Fox  to  test  Sheridan's  memory,  who  repeated  it  after  one 
hearing.  (Others  attribute  it  to  Foote.)  Similar  Lugen- 
mdrchen  are  given  by  the  Grimms,  and  discussed  by  them  in 
their  Notes,  Mrs.  Hunt's  translation,  ii.,  pp.  424,  435,  442, 
450,  452,  cf.  Crane,  Ital.  Pop.  Tales,  p.  263. 

Remarks. — The  reference  to  venison  warrants,  and  bows 
and  arrows  seems  to  argue  considerable  antiquity  for  this 
piece  of  nonsense.  The  honorific  prefix  "Sir"  may  in  that 
case  refer  to  clerkly  qualities  rather  than  to  knighthood. 

LII.     TOM  HICKATHRIFT 

Source. — From  the  Chap-book,  c.  1660,  in  the  Pepysian 
Library,  edited  for  the  Villon  Society  by  Mr.  G.  L.  Gomme. 
Mr.  Nutt,  who  kindly  abridged  it  for  me,  writes,  "Nothing  in 
the  shape  of  incident  has  been  omitted,  and  there  has  been 
no  rewriting  beyond  a  phrase  here  and  there  rendered  neces- 
sary by  the  process  of  abridgment.  But  I  have  in  one  case 
altered  the  sequence  of  events  putting  the  fight  with  the 
giant  last." 

Parallels. — There  are  similar  adventures  of  giants  in  Hunt's 
Cornish  Drolls.  Sir  Francis  Palgrave  (Quart.  Rev.,  vol.  xxi.), 
and  after  him,  Mr.  Gomme,  have  drawn  attention  to  certain 
similarities  with  the  Grettir  Saga,  but  they  do  not  extend 
beyond  general  resemblances  of  great  strength.  Mr.  Gomme, 
however,  adds  that  the  cartwheel  "plays  a  not  unimportant 


246  Notes  and  References 

part  in  English  folk-lore  as  a  representative  of  old  runic  faith" 
(Villon  Soc.  edition,  p.  xv.). 

Remarks. — Mr.  Gomme,  in  his  interesting  Introduction, 
points  out  several  indications  of  considerable  antiquity  for 
the  legend,  various  expressions  in  the  Pepysian  Chap-book  ("  in 
the  marsh  of  the  Isle  of  Ely,"  "good  ground"),  indicating 
that  it  could  trace  back  to  the  sixteenth  century.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  evidence  of  local  tradition  persisting  from 
that  time  onward  till  the  present  day  (Weaver,  Funerall 
Monuments,  1631,  pp.  866-7;  Spelman,  Icenia,  1640,  p.  138; 
Dugdale,  Imbanking,  1662  (ed.  1772,  p.  244);  Blomefield, 
Norfolk,  1808,  ix.,  pp.  79,  80).  These  refer  to  a  sepulchral 
monument  in  Tylney  churchyard  which  had  figured  on  a 
stone  coffin  an  axle-tree  and  cart-wheel.  The  name  in  these 
versions  of  the  legend  is  given  as  Hickifric,  and  he  is  there 
represented  as  a  village  Hampden  who  withstood  the  tyranny 
of  the  local  lord  of  the  manor.  Mr.  Gomme  is  inclined  to 
believe,  I  understand  him,  that  there  is  a  certain  amount  of 
evidence  for  Tom  Hickathrift  being  a  historic  personality 
round  whom  some  of  the  Scandinavian  mythical  exploits  have 
gathered.  I  must  refer  to  his  admirable  Introduction  for  the 
ingenious  line  of  reasoning  on  which  he  bases  these  conclu- 
sions. Under  any  circumstances  no  English  child's  library  of 
folk-tales  can  be  considered  complete  that  does  not  present  a 
version  of  Mr.  Hickathrift's  exploits. 

LIII.     THE  HEDLEY  KOW 

Source.— Told  to  Mrs.  Balfour  by  Mrs.  M.  of  S.  Northum- 
berland. Mrs.  M.'s  mother  told  the  tale  as  having  happened 
to  a  person  she  had  known  when  young :  she  had  herself  seen 
the  Hedley  Kow  twice,  once  as  a  donkey  and  once  as  a  wisp 
of  straw.  "Kow"  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  more 
prosaic  animal  with  a  "  C." 

Parallels. — There  is  a  short  reference  to  the  Hedley  Kow 
in  Henderson,  /.  c.,  first  edition,  pp.  234-5.  Our  story  is 
shortly  referred  to  thus:  "He  would  present  himself  to  some 


Notes  and  References  247 

old  dame  gathering  sticks,  in  the  form  of  a  truss  of  straw, 
which  she  would  be  sure  to  take  up  and  carry  away.  Then 
it  would  become  so  heavy  that  she  would  have  to  lay  her 
burden  down,  on  which  the  straw  would  become  'quick,'  rise 
upright  and  shuffle  away  before  her,  till  at  last  it  vanished 
from  her  sight  with  a  laugh  and  shout."  Some  of  Robin 
Goodfellow's  pranks  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Hedley  Kow. 
The  old  woman's  content  with  the  changes  is  similar  to  that 
of  "Mr.  Vinegar."  An  ascending  scale  of  changes  has  been 
studied  by  Prof.  Crane,  Italian  Popular  Tales,  p.  373. 

LIV.     GOBBORN  SEER 

Source. — Collected  by  Mrs.  Gomme  from  an  old  woman  at 
Deptford.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  "Gobborn  Seer"  is 
Irish  (Goban  Saor  =  free  carpenter),  and  is  the  Irish  equiva- 
lent of  Wayland  Smith,  and  occurs  in  several  place  names  in 
Ireland. 

Parallels. — The  essence  of  the  tale  occurs  in  Kennedy,  /.  c., 
p.  6j,seq.  Gobborn  Seer's  daughter  was  clearly  the  clever  lass 
who  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  Indo-European  world.  An 
instance  in  my  Indian  Fairy  Tales,  "Why  the  Fish  Laughed" 
(No.  xxiv.).  She  has  been  made  a  special  study  by  Prof. 
Child,  English  and  Scotch  Ballads,  i.,  485,  while  an  elaborate 
monograph  by  Prof.  Benfey  under  the  title  "Die  Kluge 
Dime"  (reprinted  in  hisKleine  Schriften,  ii.,  156,  seq.),  formed 
the  occasion  for  his  first  presentation  of  his  now  well-known 
hypothesis  of  the  derivation  of  all  folk-tales  from  India. 

Remarks. — But  for  the  accident  of  the  title  being  preserved 
there  would  have  been  nothing  to  show  that  this  tale  had 
been  imported  into  England  from  Ireland,  whither  it  had 
probably  been  carried  all  the  way  from  India. 

LV.     LAWKAMERCYME 

Source. — H  alii  well,  Nursery  Rhymes. 

Parallels. — It  is  possible  that  this  is  an  Eastern  "  sell " :  it  oc- 
curs at  any  rate  as  the  first  episode  in  Fitzgerald's  translation 


248  Notes  and  References 

of  Jami's  Saldmdn  and  Absdl.  Jami,  ob.  1492,  introduces  the 
story  to  illustrate  the  perplexities  of  the  problem  of  individ- 
uality in  a  pantheistic  system. 

Lest,  like  the  simple  Arab  in  the  tale, 
I  grow  perplext,  O  God!  'twixt  ME  and  THEE, 
If  I — this  Spirit  that  inspires  me  whence? 
If  THOU — then  what  this  sensual  impotence? 

In  other  words,  M.  Bourget's  Cruelle  Enigme.  The  Arab 
yokel  coming  to  Bagdad  is  fearful  of  losing  his  identity,  and 
ties  a  pumpkin  to  his  leg  before  going  to  sleep.  His  com- 
panion transfers  it  to  his  own  leg.  The  yokel  awaking  is 
perplexed  like  the  pantheist. 

If  I — the  pumpkin  why  on  YOU? 

If  YOU — then  where  am  I,  and  WHO? 

LVI.     TATTERCOATS 

Source. — Told  to  Mrs.  Balfour  by  a  little  girl  named  Sally 
Brown,  when  she  lived  in  the  Cars  in  Lincolnshire.  Sally  had 
got  it  from  her  mother,  who  worked  for  Mrs.  Balfour.  It  was 
originally  told  in  dialect,  which  Mrs.  Balfour  has  omitted. 

Parallels. — Miss  Cox  has  included  "  Tattercoats "  in  her 
exhaustive  collection  of  parallels  of  Cinderella  (Folk-Lore 
Society  Publications,  1892),  No.  274  from  the  MS.  which  I 
had  lent  her.  Miss  Cox  rightly  classes  it  as  "  Indeterminate," 
and  it  has  only  the  Menial  Heroine  and  Happy  Marriage 
episodes  in  common  with  stories  of  the  Cinderella  type. 

Remarks. — Tattercoats  is  of  interest  chiefly  as  being  with- 
out any  "fairy"  or  supernatural  elements,  unless  the  magic 
pipe  can  be  so  considered;  it  certainly  gives  the  tale  a 
fairy-like  element.  It  is  practically  a  prose  variant  of  King 
Cophetua  and  the  Beggar  Maid,  and  is  thus  an  instance  of 
the  folk-novel  pure  and  simple,  without  any  admixture  of 
those  unnatural  incidents  which  transform  the  folk-novel  into 
the  serious  folk-tale  as  we  are  accustomed  to  have  it.  Which 
is  the  prior,  folk-novel  or  tale,  it  would  be  hard  to  say. 


Notes  and  References  249 

LVII.     THE  WEE  BANNOCK 

Source. — Chambers's  Popular  Rhymes  of  Scotland.  I  have 
attempted  an  impossibility,  I  fear,  in  trying  to  anglicise,  but 
the  fun  of  the  original  tempted  me.  There  still  remain  sev- 
eral technical  trade  terms  requiring  elucidation.  I  owe  the 
following  to  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Todd  Martin,  of 
Belfast.  Lawtrod  =  lap  board  on  which  the  tailor  irons;  tow 
cards,  the  comb  with  which  tow  is  carded;  the  clove,  a  heavy 
wooden  knife  for  breaking  up  the  flax.  Heckling  is  combing 
it  with  a  heckle  or  wooden  comb;  binnings  are  halters  for 
cattle  made  of  sprit  or  rushes.  Spurtle  =  spoon ;  whins  = 
gorse. 

Parallels.  —  This  is  clearly  a  variant  of  Johnny-cake  = 
journey -cake,  No.  xxviii.,  where  see  Notes. 

Remarks. — But  here  the  interest  is  with  the  pursuers  rather 
than  with  the  pursued.  The  subtle  characterisation  of  the 
various  occupations  reaches  a  high  level  of  artistic  merit.  Mr. 
Barrie  himself  could  scarcely  have  succeeded  better  in  a  very 
difficult  task. 

LVIII.     JOHNNY  GLOKE 

Source. — Contributed  by  Mr.  W.  Gregor  to  Folk-Lore  Jour- 
nal, vii.  I  have  rechristened  "Johnny  Glaik"  for  the  sake  of 
the  rhyme,  and  anglicised  the  few  Scotticisms. 

Parallels. — This  is  clearly  The  Valiant  Tailor  of  the 
Grimms:  "#  at  a  blow"  has  been  bibliographised.  (See  my 
List  of  Incidents  in  Trans.  Folk-Lore  Congress,  1892,  sub 
voce.) 

Remarks. — How  The  Valiant  Tailor  got  to  Aberdeen  one 
cannot  tell,  though  the  resemblance  is  close  enough  to  suggest 
a  direct  "lifting"  from  some  English  version  of  Grimm's 
Goblins.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  remembered  that 
Jack  the  Giant  Killer  (see  Notes  on  No.  xix.)  contains  some 
of  the  incidents  of  The  Valiant  Tailor. 


250  Notes  and  References 

LIX.     COAT  O    CLAY 

Source. — Contributed  by  Mrs.  Balfour  originally  to  Long' 
man's  Magazine,  and  thence  to  Folk-Lore,  Sept.,  1890. 

Remarks. — A  rustic  apologue,  which  is  scarcely  more  than 
a  prolonged  pun  on  "Coat  o'  Clay."  Mrs.  Balfour's  telling 
redeems  it  from  the  usual  dulness  of  folk-tales  with  a  moral 
or  a  double  meaning. 

LX.     THE  THREE  COWS 

Source. — Contributed  to  Henderson,  /.  c.,  pp.  321-2,  by  the 
Rev.  S.  Baring-Gould. 

Parallels. — The  incident  "Bones  together"  occurs  in 
Rushen  Cootie  (infra,  No.  Ixx.),  and  has  been  discussed  by 
the  Grimms,  i.,  399,  and  by  Prof.  Kohler,  Or.  und  Occ.,  ii., 
680. 

LXI.     THE  BLINDED  GIANT 

Source. — Henderson's  Folk-Lore  of  Northern  Counties.  See 
also  Folk-Lore. 

Parallels. — Polyphemus  in  the  Odyssey  and  the  Celtic  paral- 
lels in  Celtic  Fairy  Tales,  No.  v.,  "Conall  Yellowclaw."  The 
same  incident  occurs  in  one  of  Sindbad's  voyages. 

Remarks. — Here  we  have  another  instance  of  the  localisa- 
tion of  a  well-known  myth.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
the  version  is  ultimately  to  be  traced  back  to  the  Odyssey. 
The  one-eyed  giant,  the  barred  door,  the  escape  through  the 
blinded  giant's  legs  in  the  skin  of  a  slaughtered  animal,  are  a 
series  of  incidents  that  could  not  have  arisen  independently 
and  casually.  Yet  till  lately  the  mill  stood  to  prove  if  the 
narrator  lied,  and  every  circumstance  of  local  particularity 
seemed  to  vouch  for  the  autochthonous  character  of  the  myth. 
The  incident  is  an  instructive  one,  and  I  have  therefore  in- 
cluded it  in  this  volume,  though  it  is  little  more  than  an 
anecdote  in  its  present  shape. 


Notes  and  References  251 

LXII.    SCRAPEFOOT 

Source. — Collected  by  Mr.  Batten  from  Mrs.  H.,  who  heard 
it  from  her  mother  over  forty  years  ago. 

Parallels. — It  is  clearly  a  variant  of  Southey's  Three  Bears 
(No.  xviii.). 

Remarks. — This  remarkable  variant  raises  the  question 
whether  Southey  did  anything  more  than  transform  Scrape- 
foot  into  his  naughty  old  woman,  who  in  her  turn  has  been 
transformed  by  popular  tradition  into  the  naughty  girl  Silver- 
hair.  Mr.  Nutt  ingeniously  suggests  that  Southey  heard  the 
story  told  of  an  old  vixen,  and  mistook  the  rustic  name  of  a 
female  fox  for  the  metaphorical  application  to  women  of  fox- 
like  temper.  Mrs.  H.'s  version  to  my  mind  has  all  the  marks 
of  priority.  It  is  throughout  an  animal  tale,  the  touch  at  the 
end  of  the  shaking  the  paws  and  the  name  Scrapefoot  are  too 
volkstumlich  to  have  been  conscious  variations  on  Southey's 
tale.  In  introducing  the  story  in  his  Doctor,  the  poet  laureate 
did  not  claim  to  do  more  than  repeat  a  popular  tale.  I  think 
that  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  in  Mrs.  H.'s  version  we 
have  now  recovered  this  in  its  original  form.  If  this  is  so, 
we  may  here  have  one  more  incident  of  the  great  Northern 
beast  epic  of  bear  and  fox,  on  which  Prof.  Krohn  has  written 
an  instructive  monograph,  Bar  (Wolf.)  und  Fuchs  (Helsing- 
fors,  1889). 

LXIII.    THE  PEDLAR  OF  SWAFFHAM 

Source. — Diary  of  Abraham  de  la  Pryme  (Surtees  Soc.)  under 
date  loth  November,  1699,  but  rewritten  by  Mr.  Nutt,  who 
has  retained  the  few  characteristic  seventeenth  century 
touches  of  Pryme's  dull  and  colourless  narration.  There  is  a 
somewhat  fuller  account  in  Blomefield's  History  of  Norfolk,  vi., 
211-13,  from  Twysden's  Reminiscences,  ed.  Hearne,  p.  299^ 
In  this  there  is  a  double  treasure;  the  first  in  an  iron  pot 
with  a  Latin  inscription,  which  the  pedlar,  whose  name  is 


252  Notes  and  References 

John  Chapman,  does  not  understand.     Inquiring  its  meaning 
from  a  learned  friend,  he  is  told — 

Under  me  doth  lie 
Another  much  richer  than  I. 

He  accordingly  digs  deeper  and  finds  another  pot  of  gold. 

Parallels. — Blomefield  refers  to  Fungerus,  Etymologicum 
Latino-Grcecum,  pp.  mo-ii,  where  the  same  story  is  told  of 
a  peasant  of  Dort,  in  Holland,  who  was  similarly  directed  to 
go  to  Kempen  Bridge.  Prof.  E.  B.  Co  well,  who  gives  the 
passage  from  Fungerus  in  a  special  paper  on  the  subject  in 
the  Journal  of  Philology,  vi.,  189-95,  points  out  that  the  same 
story  occurs  in  the  Masndvi  of  the  Persian  port  Jalaluddin, 
whose  floruit  is  1260  A.D.  Here  a  young  spendthrift  of  Bag- 
dad is  warned  in  a  dream  to  repair  to  Cairo,  with  the  usual 
result  of  being  referred  back. 

Remarks. — The  artificial  character  of  the  incident  is  suffi- 
cient to  prevent  its  having  occurred  in  reality  or  to  more 
than  one  inventive  imagination.  It  must  therefore  have  been 
brought  to  Europe  from  the  East  and  adapted  to  local  con- 
ditions at  Dort  and  Swaffham.  Prof.  Cowell  suggests  that  it 
was  possibly  adapted  at  the  latter  place  to  account  for  the 
effigy  of  the'  pedlar  and  his  dog. 

LXIV.     THE  OLD  WITCH 

Source. — Collected  by  Mrs.  Gomme  at  Deptford. 

Parallels. — I  have  a  dim  memory  of  hearing  a  similar  tale 
in  Australia  in  1860.  It  is  clearly  parallel  with  the  Grimms' 
Frau  Holle,  where  the  good  girl  is  rewarded  and  the  bad 
punished  in  a  similar  way.  Perrault's  Toads  and  Diamonds 
is  of  the  same  genus. 

LXV.     THE  THREE  WISHES 

Source. — Steinberg's  Folk-Lore  of  Northamptonshire,  1851, 
but  entirely  rewritten  by  Mr.  Nutt,  who  has  introduced  from 
other  variants  one  touch  at  the  close — viz.,  the  readiness  of 
the  wife  to  allow  her  husband  to  remain  disfigured. 


Notes  and  References  253 

Parallels. — Perrault's  Trois  Souhaits  is  the  same  tale,  and 
Mr.  Lang  has  shown  in  his  edition  of  Perrault  (pp.  xlii.-li.) 
how  widely  spread  is  the  theme  throughout  the  climes  and 
the  ages.  I  do  not,  however,  understand  him  to  grant  that 
they  are  all  derived  from  one  source — that  represented  in 
the  Indian  Pantschatantra.  In  my  ALsop,  i.,  140-1,  I  have 
pointed  out  an  earlier  version  in  Phaedrus  where  it  occurs  (as 
in  the  prose  versions)  as  the  fable  of  Mercury  and  the  two 
Women,  one  of  whom  wishes  to  see  her  babe  when  it  has  a 
beard ;  the  other,  that  everything  she  touches  which  she  would 
find  useful  in  her  profession,  may  follow  her.  The  babe  be- 
comes bearded,  and  the  other  woman  raising  her  hand  to 
wipe  her  eyes  finds  her  nose  following  her  hand — denouement 
on  which  the  scene  closes.  M.  Bedier,  as  usual,  denies  the 
Indian  origin,  Les  Fabliaux,  pp.  177,  seq. 

Remarks. — I  have  endeavoured  to  show,  /.  £.,  that  the 
Phaedrine  form  is  ultimately  to  be  derived  from  India,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  all  the  other  variants,  which 
are  only  variations  on  one  idea,  and  that  an  absurdly  incon- 
gruous one,  were  derived  from  India  in  the  last  resort.  The 
case  is  strongest  for  drolls  of  this  kind. 

LXVI.     THE  BURIED  MOON 

Source. — Mrs.  Balfour's  "Legends  of  the  Lincolnshire  Cars" 
in  Folk-Lore,  ii.,  somewhat  abridged  and  the  dialect  removed. 
The  story  was  derived  from  a  little  girl  named  Bratton,  who 
declared  she  had  heard  it  from  her  "grannie."  Mrs.  Balfour 
thinks  the  girl's  own  weird  imagination  had  much  to  do 
with  framing  the  details. 

Remarks. — The  tale  is  noteworthy  as  being  distinctly  mythi- 
cal in  character,  and  yet  collected  within  the  last  ten  years 
from  one  of  the  English  peasantry.  The  conception  of  the 
moon  as  a  beneficent  being,  the  natural  enemy  of  the  bogles 
and  other  dwellers  of  the  dark,  is  natural  enough,  but  scarcely 
occurs,  so  far  as  I  recollect,  in  other  mythological  systems. 
There  is,  at  any  rate,  nothing  analogous  in  the  Grimms' 


254  Notes  and  References 

treatment  of  the  moon  in  their  Teutonic  Mythology,  tr.  Stally- 
brass,  pp.  701-21. 

LXVII.     A  SON  OF  ADAM 

Source. — From  memory,  by  Mr.  E.  Sidney  Hartland,  as 
heard  by  him  from  his  nurse  in  childhood. 

Parallels. — Jacques  de  Vitry  Exempla,  ed.  Prof.  Crane,  No. 
xiii.,  and  references  given  in  notes,  p.  139.  It  occurs  in  Swift 
and  in  modern  Italian  folk-lore. 

Remarks. — The  Exempla  were  anecdotes,  witty  and  other- 
wise, used  by  the  monks  in  their  sermons  to  season  their 
discourse.  Often  they  must  have  been  derived  from  the  folk 
of  the  period,  and  at  first  sight  it  might  seem  that  we  had 
found  still  extant  among  the  folk  the  story  that  had  been  the 
original  of  Jacques  de  Vitry's  Exemplum.  But  the  theologi- 
cal basis  of  the  story  shows  clearly  that  it  was  originally  a 
monkish  invention  and  came  thence  among  the  folk. 

LXVIII.     THE  CHILDREN  IN  THE  WOOD 

Source. — Percy,  Reliques.  The  ballad  form  of  the  story  has 
become  such  a  nursery  classic  that  I  had  not  the  heart  to 
"prose"  it.  As  Mr.  Allingham  remarks,  it  is  the  best  of  the 
ballads  of  the  pedestrian  order. 

Parallels. — The  second  of  R.  Yarrington's  Two  Lamentable 
Tragedies,  1601,  has  the  same  plot  as  the  ballad.  Several 
chap-books  have  been  made  out  of  it,  some  of  them  enum- 
erated by  Halliwell's  Popular  Histories  (Percy  Soc.)  No.  18. 
From  one  of  these  I  am  in  the  fortunate  position  of  giving  the 
names  of  the  dramatis  persons  of  this  domestic  tragedy. 
Androgus  was  the  wicked  uncle,  Pisaurus  his  brother  who 
married  Eugenia,  and  their  children  in  the  wood  were  Cassan- 
der  and  little  Kate.  The  ruffians  were  appropriately  named 
Rawbones  and  Woudkill.  According  to  a  writer  in  3  Notes 
and  Queries,  ix.,  144,  the  traditional  burial-place  of  the  child- 
ren is  pointed  out  in  Norfolk.  The  ballad  was  known  before 
Percy,  as  it  is  mentioned  in  the  Spectator,  Nos.  80  and  179. 


Notes  and  References  255 

Remarks. — The  only  "fairy"  touch — but  what  a  touch .* — 
the  pall  of  leaves  collected  by  the  robins. 

LXIX.     THE  HOBYAHS 

Source. — American  Folk-Lore  Journal,  iii.,  173,  contributed 
by  Mr.  S.  V.  Proudfit  as  current  in  a  family  deriving  from 
Perth. 

Remarks. — But  for  the  assurance  of  the  tale  itself  that 
Hobyahs  are  no  more,  Mr.  Batten's  portraits  of  them  would 
have  convinced  me  that  they  were  the  bogles  or  spirits  of  the 
comma  bacillus.  Mr.  Proudfit  remarks  that  the  cry  "Look 
me"  was  very  impressive. 

\ 

LXX.     A  POTTLE  O'  BRAINS 

Source. — Contributed  by  Mrs.  Balfour  to  Folk-Lore,  II. 

Parallels. — The  fool's  wife  is  clearly  related  to  the  Clever 
Lass  of  "Gobborn  Seer,"  where  see  Notes. 

Remarks. — The  fool  is  obviously  of  the  same  family  as  he  of 
the  "Coat  o'  Clay"  (No.  lix.)  if  he  is  not  actually  identical 
with  him.  His  adventures  might  be  regarded  as  a  sequel  to 
the  former  ones.  The  Noodle  family  is  strongly  represented 
in  English  folk-tales,  which  would  seem  to  confirm  Carlyle's 
celebrated  statistical  remark. 

LXXI.     THE  KING  OF  ENGLAND 

Source. — Mr.  F.  Hindes  Groome,  In  Gypsy  Tents,  told  him 
by  John  Roberts,  a  Welsh  gypsy,  with  a  few  slight  changes 
and  omission  of  passages  insisting  upon  the  gypsy  origin  of 
the  three  helpful  brothers. 

Parallels. — The  king  and  his  three  sons  are  familiar  figures 
in  European  mdrchen.  Slavonic  parallels  are  enumerated  by 
Leskien  Brugman  in  their  Lithauische  Mdrchen,  notes  on  No. 
n,  p.  542.  The  Sleeping  Beauty  is  of  course  found  in 
Perrault. 

Remarks. — The  tale  is  scarcely  a  good  example  for  Mr. 


256  Notes  and  References 

Hindes  Groome's  contention  (in  Transactions  F oik-Lore  Con- 
gress) for  the  diffusion  of  all  folk-tales  by  means  of  gypsies 
as  colporteurs.  This  is  merely  a  matter  of  evidence,  and  of 
evidence  there  is  singularly  little,  though  it  is  indeed  curious 
that  one  of  Campbell's  best  equipped  informants  should  turn 
out  to  be  a  gypsy.  Even  this  fact,  however,  is  not  too  well 
substantiated. 

LXXII.     KING  JOHN  AND  THE  ABBOT 

Source. — "Prosed"  from  the  well-known  ballad  in  Percy. 
I  have  changed  the  first  query :  What  am  I  worth?  Answer: 
Twenty-nine  pence — one  less,  I  ween,  than  the  Lord.  This 
would  have  sounded  somewhat  bold  in  prose. 

Parallels. — Vincent  of  Beauvais  has  the  story,  but  the  Eng- 
lish version  comes  from  the  German  Joe  Miller,  Pauli's  Schimpf 
und  Ernst,  No.  lv.,  p.  46,  ed.  Oesterley,  where  see  his  notes. 
The  question  I  have  omitted  exists  there,  and  cannot  have 
"independently  arisen."  Pauli  was  a  fifteenth  century  worthy 
or  unworthy. 

Remarks. — Riddles  were  once  on  a  time  serious  things  to 
meddle  with,  as  witness  Samson  and  the  Sphynx,  and  other 
instances  duly  noted  with  his  customary  erudition  by  Prof. 
Child  in  his  comments  on  the  ballad,  English  and  Scotch  Bal- 
lads, i.,  403—14. 

LXXIII.     RUSHEN  COATIE 

Source. — I  have  concocted  this  English,  or  rather  Scotch, 
Cinderella  from  the  various  versions  given  in  Miss  Cox's  re- 
markable collection  of  345  variants  of  Cinderella  (Folk-Lore 
Society,  1892);  see  Parallels  for  an  enumeration  of  those 
occurring  in  the  British  Isles.  I  have  used  Nos.  1-3,  8-10. 
I  give  my  composite  the  title  "  Rushen  Coatie,"  to  differentiate 
it  from  any  of  the  Scotch  variants,  and  for  the  purposes  of  a 
folk-lore  experiment.  If  this  book  becomes  generally  used 
among  English-speaking  peoples,  it  may  possibly  re-introduce 
this  and  other  tales  among  the  folk.  We  should  be  able  to 


Notes  and  References  257 

trace  this  re-introduction  by  the  variation  in  titles.  I  have 
done  the  same  with  "Nix  Nought  Nothing,"  "Molly  Whup- 
pie,"  and  "  Johnny  Gloke." 

Parallels. — Miss  Cox's  volume  gives  no  less  than  113  vari- 
ants of  the  pure  type  of  Cinderella — her  type  A.  "  Cinderella, 
or  the  Fortunate  Marriage  of  a  Despised  Scullery-maid  by  Aid 
of  an  Animal  God-mother  through  the  Test  of  a  Slipper" — 
such  might  be  the  explanatory  title  of  a  chap-book  dealing 
with  the  pure  type  of  Cinderella.  This  is  represented  in  Miss 
Cox's  book,  so  far  as  the  British  Isles  are  concerned,  by  no  less 
than  seven  variants,  as  follows:  (i)  Dr.  Blind,  in  Archaeologi- 
cal Review,  iii.,  24-7,  "Ashpitell"  (from  neighbourhood  of 
Glasgow).  (2)  A.  Lang,  in  Revue  Celtique,  t.  iii.,  reprinted  in 
Folk-Lore,  September,  1890,  "Rashin  Coatie"  (from  Moray- 
shire).  (3)  Mr.  Gregor,  in  Folk-Lore  Journal,  ii.,  72-4  (from 
Aberdeenshire),  "The  Red  Calf" — all  these  in  Lowland  Scots 
(4)  Campbell,  Popular  Tales,  No.  xliii.,  ii.,  286  seq.,  "The 
Sharp  Grey  Sheep."  (5)  Mr.  Sinclair,  in  Celtic  Mag.,  xiii., 
454-65,  "Snow-white  Maiden."  (6)  Mr.  Macleod's  variant 
communicated  through  Mr.  Nutt  to  Miss  Cox's  volume,  p. 
533;  and  (7)  Curtin,  Myths  of  Ireland,  pp.  78-92.  "Fair, 
Brown,  and  Trembling" — these  four  in  Gaelic,  the  last  in 
Erse.  To  these  I  would  add  (8,  9)  Chambers's  two  versions  in 
Pop.  Rhymes  of  Scotland,  pp.  66-8,  "Rashie  Coat,"  though 
Miss  Cox  assimilates  them  to  Type  B.  Catskin;  and  (10)  a 
variant  of  Dr.  Blind's  version,  unknown  to  Miss  Cox,  but 
given  in  7  Notes  and  Queries,  x.,  463  (Dumbartonshire).  Mr. 
Clouston  has  remarks  on  the  raven  as  omen-bird  in  his  notes 
to  Mrs.  Saxby's  Birds  of  Omen  in  Shetland  (privately  printed, 
1893). 

ENGLISH    VARIANTS    OF    CINDERELLA 
GREGOR.  LANG.  CHAMBERS,  I.  and  II.     BLIND. 

Ill-treated  hero-    Calf  given  by  dy-  Heroine  dislikes     Ill-treated    hero- 
ine (by  parents),   ing  mother.  husband.  ine     (by     step- 
mother). 


Notes  and  References 


GREGOR. 

LANG. 

CHAMBERS,  I.  and  II.      BLIND. 

Helpful  animal 

Ill-treated  hero- 

Henwife aid. 

Menial  heroine. 

(red  calf). 

ine   (by  step- 

mother and 

sisters). 

Spy  on  heroine. 

Heroine  disguise 

Countertasks. 

Helpful  animal 

(rashin  coatie). 

(black  sheep). 

Slaying  of  helpful  Hearth  abode. 

Heroine  disguise. 

Ear  cornucopia. 

animal  threat- 

ened. 

Heroine  flight. 

Helpful  animal. 

Heroine  flight. 

Spy  on  heroine. 

Heroine  disguise 

Slaying  of  help- 

Menial heroine. 

Slaying  of  helpful 

(rashin  coatie). 

ful  animal. 

animal. 

Menial  heroine. 

Revivified  bones 

(Fairy)  aid. 

Old    woman    ad- 

vice. 

Help  at  grave. 

Revivified  bones 

Dinner  cooked 

Task-performing 

(by  helpful  ani- 

animal. 

mal). 

Magic  dresses 

Magic  dresses. 

Magic  dresses. 

Meeting-place 

(given  by  calf). 

(church). 

Meeting-place 

Meeting-place 

Meeting-place 

Dresses   (not 

(church). 

(church)  . 

(church)  . 

magic). 

Flight. 

Flight  threefold. 

Flight  threefold. 

Flight  twofold. 

Lost  shoe. 

Lost  shoe. 

Lost  shoe. 

Lost  shoe. 

Shoe  marriage 

Shoe  marriage 

Shoe  marriage 

Shoe  marriage 

test. 

test. 

test. 

test. 

Mutilated  foot 

Mutilated  foot. 

Mutilated  foot. 

Mutilated  foot. 

(housewife's 

daughter). 

Bird  witness. 

False  bride. 

False  bride. 

False  bride. 

Happy  marriage. 

Bird  witness. 

Bird  witness. 

Bird  witness 

(raven)  . 

House  for  red 

Happy  marriage. 

Happy  marriage. 

Happy  marriage. 

calf. 

Remarks. — In  going  over  these  various  versions,  the  first 
and  perhaps  most  striking  thing  that  comes  out  is  the  sub- 
stantial agreement  of  the  variants  in  each  language.  The 
English — i.  e.,  Scotch,  variants  go  together;  the  Gaelic  ones 
agree  to  differ  from  the  English.  I  can  best  display  this 


Notes  and  References 


259 


important  agreement  and  difference  by  the  accompanying 
two  tables,  which  give,  in  parallel  columns,  Miss  Cox's  ab- 
stracts of  her  tabulations,  in  which  each  incident  is  shortly 
given  in  technical  phraseology.  It  is  practically  impossible 
to  use  the  long  tabulations  for  comparative  purposes  without 
some  such  shorthand. 

CELTIC   VARIANTS    OF    CINDERELLA 


MACLEOD. 

CAMPBELL. 

SINCLAIR. 

CURTIN. 

Heroine,  daugh- 

Ill-treated hero- 

Ill-treated hero- 

Ill-treated   hero- 

ter   of    sheep, 

ine    (by    step- 

ine   (by    step- 

ine    (by     elder 

king's  wife. 

mother)  . 

mother  and  sis- 

sisters). 

ters). 

Menial  heroine. 

Menial  heroine. 

Menial  heroine. 

Helpful  animal. 

Helpful  cantrips. 

Henwife  aid. 

Spy  on  heroine. 

Spy  on  heroine. 

Magic  dresses 

Magic  dresses 

(+  starlings  on 

(honey-bird, 

shoulders)  . 

finger  and  stud). 

Eye  sleep  three- 

Eye sleep. 

Meeting-place 

Meeting-place 

fold. 

(church). 

(church). 

Slaying  of  help- 

Slaying of  help- 

Flight twofold. 

Flight  threefold. 

ful  animal 

ful  animal. 

mother. 

Revivified 

Revivified 

Lost  shoe. 

Lost  shoe. 

bones. 

bones. 

Magic  dresses. 

Step-sister  sub- 

Shoe marriage 

Shoe        marriage 

stitute. 

test. 

test. 

Golden  shoe  gift 

Heroine  under 

Mutilated  foot. 

(from  hero). 

washtub. 

Meeting-place 

Meeting-place 

Happy  marriage. 

Happy  marriage. 

(feast). 

(sermon). 

Flight  threefold. 

Flight  threefold. 

Substituted 

Substituted  bride 

bride. 

(eldest  sister). 

Lost  shoe 

Lost  shoe. 

Jonah  heroine. 

Jonah  heroine. 

(golden). 

Shoe  marriage 

Shoe  marriage 

Three  reappear- 

Three    reappear- 

test. 

test. 

ances. 

ances. 

Mutilated  foot. 

Mutilated  foot. 

Reunion. 

Reunion. 

False  bride. 

Villain  Nemesis. 

Bird  witness. 

Bird  witness. 

Happy  marriage. 

Happy  marriage. 

260  Notes  and  References 

Now,  in  the  "English"  versions  there  is  practical  unanimity 
in  the  concluding  portions  of  the  tale.  Magic  dresses — Meet* 
ing-place  (Church) — Flight — Lost  Shoe — Shoe  Marriage-test-* 
Mutilated  foot — False  Bride — Bird  witness — Happy  Marriage, 
follow  one  another  with  exemplary  regularity  in  all  four  (six) 
versions.1  The  introductory  incidents  vary  somewhat. 
Chambers  has  evidently  a  maimed  version  of  the  intro- 
duction of  Catskin  (see  No.  Ixxxiii.).  The  remaining  three 
enable  us,  however,  to  restore  with  some  confidence  the  Ur- 
Ciriderella  in  English  somewhat  as  follows:  Helpful  animal 
given  by  dying  mother — Ill-treated  heroine — Menial  heroine — 
Ear  cornucopia — Spy  on  heroine — Slaying  by  helpful  animal — 
Tasks — Revivified  bones.  I  have  attempted  in  my  version  to 
reconstruct  the  "English"  Cinderella  according  to  these  for- 
mulae. It  will  be  observed  that  the  helpful  animal  is  helpful 
in  two  ways — (a)  in  helping  the  heroine  to  perform  tasks; 
(6)  in  providing  her  with  magic  dresses.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  Grimms'  Aschenputtel  and  other  Continental  variants. 

Turning  to  the  Celtic  variants,  these  divide  into  two  sets. 
Campbell's  and  Macleod's  versions  are  practically  at  one  with 
the  English  formula,  the  latter  with  an  important  variation 
which  will  concern  us  later.  But  the  other  two,  Curtin's  and 
Sinclair's,  one  collected  in  Ireland  and  the  other  in  Scotland, 
both  continue  the  formula  with  the  conclusion  of  the  Sea 
Maiden  tale  (on  which  see  the  Notes  of  my  Celtic  Fairy  Tales, 
No.  xvii.).  This  is  a  specifically  Celtic  formula,  and  would 
seem  therefore  to  claim  Cinderella  for  the  Celts.  But  the 
welding  of  the  Sea  Maiden  ending  on  to  the  Cinderella  formula 
is  clearly  a  later  and  inartistic  junction,  and  implies  rather 
imperfect  assimilation  of  the  Cinderella  formula.  To  deter- 
mine the  question  of  origin  we  must  turn  to  the  purer  type 
given  by  the  other  two  Celtic  versions. 

Campbell's  tale  can  clearly  lay  no  claim  to  represent  the 
original  type  of  Cinderella.  The  golden  shoes  are  a  gift  of 
the  hero  to  the  heroine  which  destroys  the  whole  point  of  the 
1  Chambers,  II.,  consists  entirely  and  solely  of  these  incidents. 


Notes  and  References  261 

Shoe  marriage  test,  and  cannot  have  been  in  the  original, 
wherever  it  originated.  Mr.  Macleod's  version,  however,  con- 
tains an  incident  which  seems  to  bring  us  nearer  to  the  orig- 
inal form  than  any  version  contained  in  Miss  Cox's  book. 
Throughout  the  variants  it  will  be  observed  what  an  import- 
ant function  is  played  by  the  helpful  animal.  This  in  some 
of  the  versions  is  left  as  a  legacy  by  the  heroine's  dying  mother. 
But  in  Mr.  Macleod's  version  the  helpful  animal,  a  sheep, 
is  the  heroine's  mother  herself!  This  is  indeed  an  archaic 
touch,  which  seems  to  hark  back  to  primitive  times  and  totem- 
istic  beliefs.  And  more  important  still,  it  is  a  touch  which 
vitalises  the  other  variants  in  which  the  helpful  animal  is 
rather  dragged  in  by  the  horns.  Mr.  Nutt's  lucky  find  at  the 
last  moment  seems  to  throw  more  light  on  the  origin  of  the 
tale  than  almost  the  whole  of  the  remaining  collection. 

But  does  this  find  necessarily  prove  an  original  Celtic  origin 
for  Cinderella?  Scarcely.  It  remains  to  be  proved  that  this 
introductory  part  of  the  story  with  helpful  animal  was  neces- 
sarily part  of  the  original.  Having  regard  to  the  feudal  char- 
acter underlying  the  whole  conception,  it  remains  possible 
that  the  earlier  part  was  ingeniously  dovetailed  on  to  the 
latter  from  some  pre-existing  and  more  archaic  tale,  perhaps 
that  represented  by  the  Grimms'  One  Eyed,  Two  Eyes,  and 
Three  Eyes.  The  possibility  of  the  introduction  of  an 
archaic  formula  which  had  become  a  convention  of  folk-telling 
cannot  be  left  out  of  account. 

The  "Youngest-best"  formula  which  occurs  in  Cinderella, 
and  on  which  Mr.  Lang  laid  much  stress  in  his  treatment  of 
the  subject  in  his  "  Perrault "  as  a  survival  of  the  old  tenure  of 
"junior  right,"  does  not  throw  much  light  on  the  subject. 
Mr.  Ralston,  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  1879,  was  equally  un- 
enlightening  with  his  sun-myths. 

LXXIV.     KING  O'  CATS 


Source. — I  have  taken  a  point  here  and  a  point  there  from 
the  various  English  versions  mentioned  in  the  next  section. 


262  Notes  and  References 

I  have  expanded  the  names,  so  as  to  make  a  jingle  from  the 
Dildrum  and  Doldrum  of  Hartland. 

Parallels. — Five  variants  of  this  quaint  legend  have  been 
collected  in  England:  (i)  Halliwell,  Pop.  Rhymes,  167,  "Molly 
Dixon";  (2)  Choice  Notes — F oik-Lore,  p.  73,  "Colman  Grey"; 
(3)  Folk-Lore  Journal,  ii.,  22,  "King  o'  the  Cats";  (4)  Folk- 
Lore—England  (Gibbings),  "Johnny  Reed's  Cat";  (5)  Hart- 
land  and  Wilkinson,  Lancashire  Legends,  p.  13,  "Dildrum 
Doldrum."  Sir  F.  Palgrave  gives  a  Danish  parallel;  cf.  Hal- 
liwell,  /.  c. 

Remarks. — An  interesting  example  of  the  spread  and  de- 
velopment of  a  simple  anecdote  throughout  England.  Here 
again  we  can  scarcely  imagine  more  than  a  single  origin  for 
the  tale  which  is,  in  its  way,  as  weird  and  fantastic  as  E.  A. 
Poe. 

LXXV.     TAMLANE 

Source. — From  Scott's  Minstrelsy,  with  touches  from  the 
other  variants  given  by  Prof.  Child  in  his  Eng.  and  Scotch 
Ballads,  i.,  335~58- 

Parallels. — Prof.  Child  gives  no  less  than  nine  versions  in 
his  masterly  edition,  I.e.,  besides  another  fragment  "Burd 
Ellen  and  Young  Tamlane,"  i.,  258.  He  parallels  the  mar- 
riage of  Peleus  and  Thetis  in  Apollodorus  III.,  xiii.,  5,  6, 
which  still  persists  in  modern  Greece  as  a  Cretan  ballad. 

Remarks. — Prof.  Child  remarks  that  dipping  into  water  or 
milk  is  necessary  before  transformation  can  take  place,  and 
gives  examples,  /.  c.,  338,  to  which  may  be  added  that  of 
Catskin  (see  Notes  infra).  He  gives  as  the  reason  why  the 
Elf-queen  would  have  "ta'en  out  Tamlane's  two  grey  eyne," 
so  that  henceforth  he  should  not  be  able  to  see  the  fairies.  Was 
it  not  rather  that  he  should  not  henceforth  see  Burd  Janet  ? — 
a  subtle  touch  of  jealousy.  On  dwelling  in  fairyland  Mr. 
Hartland  has  a  monograph  in  his  Science  of  Fairy  Tales,  pp. 
161-254. 


Notes  and  References  363 

LXXVI.     THE  STARS  IN  THE  SKY 

Source. — Mrs.  Balfour's  old  nurse,  now  in  New  Zealand. 
The  original  is  in  broad  Scots,  which  I  have  anglicised. 

Parallels. — The  tradition  is  widespread  that  at  the  foot  of 
the  rainbow  treasure  is  to  be  found;  cf.  Mr.  John  Payne's 
"Sir  Edward's  Questing"  in  his  Songs  of  Life  and  Death. 

Remarks. — The  "sell"  at  the  end  is  scarcely  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  folk,  and  various  touches  throughout  indicate  a 
transmission  through  minds  tainted  with  culture  and  intro- 
spection. 

LXXVII.     NEWS  ! 

Source. — Bell's  Speaker. 

Parallels. — Jacques  de  Vitry,  Exempla,  ed.  Crane,  No.  ccv., 
a  servant  being  asked  the  news  by  his  master  returned  from 
a  pilgrimage  to  Compostella,  says  the  dog  is  lame,  and  goes 
on  to  explain:  "While  the  dog  was  running  near  the  mule, 
the  mule  kicked  him  and  broke  his  own  halter  and  ran  through 
the  house,  scattering  the  fire  with  his  hoofs,  and  burning  down 
your  house  with  your  wif e. ' '  It  occurs  even  earlier  in  Alf  onsi's 
Disciplina  Clericalis,  No.  xxx.,  at  beginning  of  the  twelfth 
century,  among  the  Fabliaux,  and  in  Bebel,  Werke,  iii.,  71, 
whence  probably  it  was  reintroduced  into  England.  See  Prof. 
Crane's  note  ad  loc. 

Remarks. — Almost  all  Alfonsi's  exempla  are  from  the  East. 
It  is  characteristic  that  the  German  version  finishes  up  with 
a  loss  of  honour,  the  English  climax  being  loss  of  fortune. 

LXXVIII.     PUDDOCK,  MOUSIE,  AND  RATTON 

Source. — Kirkpatrick  Sharpe's  Ballad  Book,  1824,  slightly 
anglicised. 

Parallels. — Mr.  Bullen,  in  his  Lyrics  from  Elizabethan  Song 
Books,  p.  202,  gives  a  version,  "The  Marriage  of  the  Frog  and 
the  Mouse,"  from  T.  Ravenscroft's  Melismata,  1611.  The 
nursery  rhyme  of  the  frog  who  would  a- wooing  go  is  clearly  a 
variant  of  this,  and  has  thus  a  sure  pedigree  of  three  hundred 


264  Notes  and  References 

years;  cf.  "Frog  husband"  in  my  List  of  Incidents,  or  notes 
to  "The  Well  of  the  World's  End"  (No.  xli.). 

LXXIX.     LITTLE  BULL-CALF 

Source. — Gypsy  Lore  Journal,  iii.,  one  of  a  number  of  tales 
told  "In  a  Tent"  to  Mr.  John  Sampson.  I  have  respelt  and 
euphemised  the  bladder. 

Parallels. — The  Perseus  and  Andromeda  incident  is  fre- 
quent in  folk-tales;  see  my  List  of  Incidents  sub  voce  "Fight 
with  Dragon."  "Cheese  squeezing,"  as  a  test  of  prowess,  is 
also  common,  as  in  "Jack  the  Giant  Killer"  and  elsewhere 
(Kohler,  Jahrbuch,  vii.,  252). 

LXXX.  THE  WEE  WEE  MANNIE 

Source. — From  Mrs.  Balfour's  old  nurse.  I  have  again 
anglicised. 

Parallels. — This  is  one  of  the  class  of  accumulative  stories 
like  The  Old  Woman  and  her  Pig  (No.  iv.).  The  class  is  well 
represented  in  these  isles. 

LXXXI.     HABETROT  AND  SCANTLIE  MAB 

Source. — Henderson's  Folk-Lore  of  Northern  Counties,  pp. 
258-62  of  Folk-Lore  Society's  edition.  I  have  abridged  and 
to  some  extent  rewritten. 

Parallels. — This  in  its  early  part  is  a  parallel  to  the  Tom 
Tit  Tot,  which  see.  The  latter  part  is  more  novel,  and  is 
best  compared  with  the  Grimms'  Spinners. 

Remarks. — Henderson  makes  out  of  Habetrot  a  goddess  of 
the  spinning-wheel,  but  with  very  little  authority  as  it  seems 
to  me. 

LXXXII.     OLD  MOTHER  WIGGLE  WAGGLE 

Source. — I  have  inserted  into  H  alii  well's  version  one  cur- 
rent in  Mr.  Batten's  family,  except  that  I  have  substituted 
"  Wiggle- Waggle "  for  "Slipper-Slopper."  The  two  versions 
supplement  one  another. 


Notes  and  References  265 

Remarks. — This  is  a  pure  bit  of  animal  satire,  which  might 
have  come  from  a  rural  Jefferies  with  somewhat  more  of  wit 
than  the  native  writer. 

LXXXIII.     CATSKIN 

Source. — From  the  chap-book  reprinted  in  Halliwell  I  have 
introduced  the  demand  for  magic  dresses  from  Chambers's 
Rashie  Coat,  into  which  it  had  clearly  been  interpolated 
from  some  version  of  Catskin. 

Parallels. — Miss  Cox's  admirable  volume  of  variants  of  Cin- 
derella also  contains  seventy-three  variants  of  Catskin,  be- 
sides thirteen  "indeterminate"  ones  which  approximate  to 
that  type.  Of  these  eighty-six,  five  exist  in  the  British  Isles, 
two  chap-books  given  in  Halliwell  and  in  Dixon's  Songs  of 
English  Peasantry,  two  by  Campbell,  Nos.  xiv.  and  xiva,  "  The 
King  who  Wished  to  Marry  his  Daughter,"  and  one  by  Ken- 
nedy's Fireside  Stories,  "The  Princess  in  the  Catskins."  Gold- 
smith knew  the  story  by  the  name  of  "Catskin,"  as  he  refers 
to  it  in  the  Vicar.  There  is  a  fragment  from  Cornwall  in 
Folk-Lore,  i.,  App.  p.  149. 

Remarks. —  Catskin,  or  the  Wandering  Gentlewomen,  now 
exists  in  English  only  in  two  chap-book  ballads.  But  Cham- 
bers's first  variant  of  Rashie  Coat  begins  with  the  Catskin 
formula  in  a  euphemised  form.  The  full  formula  may  be  said 
to  run  in  abbreviated  form — Death-bed  promise — Deceased 
wife's  resemblance  marriage  test — Unnatural  father  (desiring 
to  marry  his  own  daughter) — Helpful  animal — Counter  tasks — • 
Magic  dresses — Heroine  flight — Heroine  disguise — Menial  hero- 
ine — Meeting-place — Token  objects  named — Threefold  flight — 
Lovesick  prince — Recognition  ring — Happy  marriage.  Of  these 
the  chap-book  versions  contain  scarcely  anything  of  the  open- 
ing motifs.  Yet  they  existed  in  England,  for  Miss  Isabella 
Barclay,  in  a  variant  which  Miss  Cox  has  overlooked  (Folk- 
Lore,  i.,  /.  c.),  remembers  having  heard  the  Unnatural  Father 
incident  from  a  Cornish  servant-girl.  Campbell's  two  versions 
also  contain  the  incident,  from  which  one  of  them  receives  its 


266  Notes  and  References 

name.  One  wonders  in  what  form  Mr.  Burchell  knew  Cat- 
skin,  for  "he  gave  the  [Primrose]  children  the  Buck  of  Bever- 
land,1  with  the  history  of  Patient  Grissel,  the  adventures  of 
Catskin  and  the  Fair  Rosamond's  Bower"  (Vicar  of  Wake- 
field,  1766,  c.  vi.).  "Pity  that  "Goldy"  did  not  tell  the  story 
himself,  as  he  had  probably  heard  it  in  Ireland,  where  Ken- 
nedy gives  a  poor  version  in  his  Fireside  Stories. 

Yet,  imperfect  as  the  chap-book  versions  are,  they  yet 
retain  not  a  few  archaic  touches.  It  is  clear  from  them,  at 
any  rate,  that  the  Heroine  was  at  one  time  transformed  into 
a  Cat.  For  when  the  basin  of  water  is  thrown  in  her  face  she 
" shakes  her  ears"  just  as  a  cat  would.  Again,  before  putting 
on  her  magic  dresses  she  bathes  in  a  pellucid  pool.  Now,  Pro- 
fessor Child  has  pointed  out  in  his  notes  on  Tamlane  and  else- 
where (English  and  Scotch  Ballads,  i.,  338;  ii.,  505;  iii.,  505) 
that  dipping  into  water  or  milk  is  necessary  before  transfor- 
mation can  take  place.  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  Catskin 
was  originally  transformed  into  an  animal  by  the  spirit  of  her 
mother,  also  transformed  into  an  animal. 

If  I  understand  Mr.  Nutt  rightly  (Folk-Lore,  iv,  135,  seq.), 
he  is  inclined  to  think,  from  the  evidence  of  the  hero-tales 
which  have  the  unsavoury  motif  of  the  Unnatural  Father, 
that  the  original  home  of  the  story  was  England,  where  most 
of  the  hero-tales  locate  the  incident.  I  would  merely  remark 
on  this  that  there  are  only  very  slight  traces  of  the  story  in 
these  islands  nowadays,  while  it  abounds  in  Italy,  which  pos- 
sesses one  almost  perfect  version  of  the  formula  (Miss  Cox, 
No.  142,  from  Sardinia). 

Mr.  Newell,  on  the  other  hand  (American  Folk-Lore  Jour- 
nal, ii.,  1 60),  considers  Catskin  the  earliest  of  the  three  types 
contained  in  Miss  Cox's  book,  and  considers  that  Cinderella 
was  derived  from  this  as  a  softening  of  the  original.  His 
chief  reason  appears  to  be  the  earlier  appearance  of  Catskin 
in  Straparola,2  1550,  a  hundred  years  earlier  than  Cinderella 

1  Who  knows  the  Buck  of  Beverland  nowadays? 

2  It  is  practically  in  Des  Perier's  Recreations,  1544. 


Notes  and  References  267 

In  Basile,  1636.  This  appears  to  be  a  somewhat  insufficient 
basis  for  such  a  conclusion.  Nor  is  there,  after  all,  so  close 
a  relation  between  the  two  types  in  their  full  development  as 
to  necessitate  the  derivation  of  one  from  the  other. 

LXXXIV.     STUPID'S  CRIES 

Source. — Folk-Lore  Record,  iii.,  152-5,  by  the  veteran  Prof. 
Stephens.  I  have  changed  "dog  and  bitch"  of  original  to 
"dog  and  cat,"  and  euphemised  the  liver  and  lights. 

Parallels. — Prof.  Stephens  gives  parallels  from  Denmark, 
Germany  (the  Grimms'  Up  Riesensohri)  and  Ireland  (Ken- 
nedy, Fireside  Stories,  p.  30). 

LXXXV.     THE  LAMBTON  WORM 

Source. — Henderson's  Folk-Lore  of  Northern  Counties,  pp. 
287-9, I  have  rewritten,  as  the  original  was  rather  high  falutin'. 

Parallels. — Worms  or  dragons  form  the  subject  of  the 
whole  of  the  eighth  chapter  of  Henderson.  "The  Laidly 
Worm  of  Spindleston  Heugh"  (No.  xxxiii.)  also  requires  the 
milk  of  nine  kye  for  its  daily  rations,  and  cow's  milk  is  the 
ordinary  provender  of  such  kittle  cattle  (Grimms'  Teut.  Myth, 
687),  the  mythological  explanation  being  that  cows  =  the 
clouds  and  the  dragon  =  the  storm.  Jephtha  vows  are  also 
frequent  in  folk-tales:  Miss  Cox  gives  many  examples  in  her 
Cinderella,  p.  511. 

Remarks. — Nine  generations  back  from  the  last  of  the 
Lamb  tons,  Henry  Lamb  ton,  M.P.,  ob.  1761,  reaches  Sir  John 
Lamb  ton,  Knight  of  Rhodes,  and  several  instances  of  violent 
death  occur  in  the  interim.  Dragons  are  possibly  survivals 
into  historic  times  of  antedeluvian  monsters,  or  reminiscences 
of  classical  legend  (Perseus,  etc.).  Who  shall  say  which  is 
which,  as  Mr.  Lang  would  observe. 

LXXXVI.     WISE  MEN  OF  GOTHAM 

Source. — The  chap-book  contained  in  Mr.  Hazlitt's  Shak- 
sperian  Jest  Book,  vol.  iii.  I  have  selected  the  incidents  and 


268  Notes  and  References 

modernised  the  spelling ;  otherwise  the  droll  remains  as  it  - 
told  in  Elizabethan  times. 

Parallels. — Mr.  Clouston's  Book  of  Noodles  is  little  e 
a  series  of  parallels  to  our  droll.     See  my  List  of  L  -s 

under  the  titles,  "One  cheese  after  another,"  "Hare  post- 
man," "  Not  counting  self,"  "  Drowning  eels."  In  most  cases 
Mr.  Clouston  quotes  Eastern  analogies. 

Remarks. — All  countries  have  their  special  crop  of  fools, 
Boeotians  among  the  Greeks,  the  people  of  Hums  among  the 
Persians  (how  appropriate!),  the  Schildburgers  in  Germany, 
and  so  on.  Gotham  is  the  English  representative,  and  as 
witticisms  call  to  mind  well-known  wits,  so  Gotham  has  had 
heaped  on  its  head  all  the  stupidities  of  the  Indo-European 
world.  For  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  these  drolls  have 
spread  from  East  to  West.  This  "Not  counting  self"  is  in 
the  Gooroo  Paramastan,  the  cheeses  "one  after  another"  in 
M.  Riviere's  collection  of  Kabyle  tales,  and  so  on.  It  is  indeed 
curious  how  little  originality  there  is  among  mankind  in  the 
matter  of  stupidity.  Even  such  an  inventive  genius  as  the 
late  Mr.  Sothern  had  considerable  difficulty  in  inventing  a 
new  "sell." 

LXXXVII.     PRINCESS  OF  CANTERBURY 

Source. — I  have  inserted  into  the  old  chap-book  version  of 
the  Four  Kings  of  Colchester,  Canterbury,  &c.,  an  incident 
entitled  by  Halliwell  "The  Three  Questions." 

Parallels. — The  "riddle  bride  wager"  is  a  frequent  incident 
of  folk-tales  (see  my  List  of  Incidents) ;  the  sleeping  tabu  of 
the  latter  part  is  not  so  common,  though  it  occurs,  e.  g.t  in 
the  Grimms'  Twelve  Princesses,  who  wear  out  their  shoes 
with  dancing. 


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